A new generation of living Xenobot robots has been created by scientists in the USA. These are tiny life forms that self-assemble a body of simple frog cells, do not need muscles to move and have memory capacity.
These "collectives" of cells have the ability to work together in flocks and in the future will undertake various tasks such as e.g. the cleaning of microplastics or other pollutants and garbage from land and sea, transmits the APE-MPE.
Last year, a team of biologists and computer experts from Tufts and Vermont Universities developed the first Xenobot 1.0, tiny biological machines made from frog cells that were able to move, push a load and exhibit group behavior in flocks with other similar robots. This year, the new Xenobot 2.0 are improved, as they move faster, are able to navigate in different environments and can repair themselves if they show any damage.
Researchers, led by Biology Professor Michael Levin of Tufts, who published the journal in the journal Science Robotics, believe that this technology has a terrible future, which is why the two collaborating American universities have just created the new Institute of Robotics. from Computer (ICDO) to create even more sophisticated live robots.
Xenobots get their name from the frog species Xenopus laevis, from whose embryos their cells are derived. The new generation 2.0 robots live three to seven days longer than the previous generation 1.0, which lasted up to seven days. Their shape is spherical (with small capillary protrusions that act as "legs" or "propellers" of movement) and their size reaches half a millimeter at present, while their body is completely biodegradable when they "die".
Previous attempts to create live robots have focused on wireless control of animals (eg cockroaches), but this raises bioethical issues. Xenobots differ because they are self-generating forms only of cells, have no neurons and cannot be considered animals.
But what exactly is it? Living organisms or robots? There is no clear answer to this. Rather, something in between.
Source: RES-EAP