Now, a team of MIT researchers has gone outside the human body in its chip enthusiasm and put an entire tree on a chip, sort of. The development could lead to improved hydraulics in tiny robots and maybe even allow them to be powered by simple sugar cubes.
Modeling elements from biology on chips allows scientists to run experiments, test out treatments and make observations that wouldn’t necessarily be possible in other ways. The new chip from MIT allowed researchers to mimic the natural pumps inside trees. The device was able to move fluids without any power source or mechanical parts for several days in the lab.
via New Atlas
