From Synchrony to Swimming

Biological systems evolve through synchronous co-development of multiple processes. This synchrony is maintained at all scales - cell division to embryogenesis and development. The origin of this precise timing is yet to be fully revealed. Here we show evidence, using primary cardiac cells, that long-range force interaction between the cells might play a role in this synchrony. We then apply the force induced synchrony to develop a swimming biobot that emerges from randomly plated cardiac cells on a thin soft wire.