The first living robots

On the left, the anatomical blueprint for a computer-designed organism, discovered on a UVM supercomputer. On the right, the living organism, built entirely from frog skin (green) and heart muscle (red) cells. The background displays traces carved by a swarm of these new-to-nature organisms as they move through a field of particulate matter. (Credit: Sam Kriegman, UVM)

Article Highlights

A book is made of wood. But it is not a tree. The dead cells have been repurposed to serve another need
Now a team of scientists has repurposed living cells—scraped from frog embryos—and assembled them into entirely new life-forms. These millimeter-wide "xenobots" can move toward a target, perhaps pick up a payload (like a medicine that needs to be carried to a specific place inside a patient)—and heal themselves after being cut
"These are novel living machines," says Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and robotics expert at the University of Vermont who co-led the new research. "They're neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal. It's a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism."
The new creatures were designed on a supercomputer at UVM—and then assembled and tested by biologists at Tufts University. "We can imagine many useful applications of these living robots that other machines can't do," says co-leader Michael Levin who directs the Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology at Tufts, "like searching out nasty compounds or radioactive contamination, gathering microplastic in the oceans, traveling in arteries to scrape out plaque."

The Complete Story: Team Builds the First Living Robots

University of Vermont | Tufts University

Go deeper with Bing News on:

Living robots

US Army researchers are developing muscle-bound, Terminator-like war robots that use living tissue in place of actuators for better agility and versatility
on January 19, 2021 at 8:08 am
US Army researchers are developing Terminator-like robots with lab grown living tissue. The team is working to replace traditional actuators with muscle to produce better agility and versatility.
Army is working on Frankenbots with living tissue to better robot capabilities
on January 18, 2021 at 2:49 pm
The thought of living tissue and machinery meshed together brings up images of grotesque cyborgs and far-future sci-fi films, but at the Army Research Laboratory a robot with living, organic muscles ...
Can Care Robots Improve Quality Of Life As We Age?
on January 18, 2021 at 6:00 am
As a growing class of care robots claim to provide the elderly with the benefits of human connection through technology, what risks and opportunities must designers consider?
Pandemic’s robot ‘heroes’ shines at tech show
on January 18, 2021 at 4:36 am
Robots that helped people survive and stay safe over the past year are touting their value at the tech industry’s annual extravaganza amid a pandemic which has given fresh momentum to the robotics ...
Friend, kitchen staff, yoga finder: at CES 2021, robots are a highlight, having shown their worth in the coronavirus pandemic
on January 13, 2021 at 9:15 am
The pandemic is helping robots prove their worth, from one that helps people feel less lonely to another that can cut labour costs in the kitchen – and they take centre stage at a consumer tech show.

Go deeper with Google Headlines on:

Living robots

Army is working on Frankenbots with living tissue to better robot capabilities - Federal News Network
January 18, 2021
US Army developing biohybrid 'war robots' with living tissue - Daily Mail
January 19, 2021
President Trump orders senior appointees to sign off on new regulations - Federal News Network
January 19, 2021
Fastener with microscopic mushroom design holds promise - EurekAlert
January 19, 2021
Can Care Robots Improve Quality Of Life As We Age? - Forbes
January 18, 2021

Go deeper with Bing News on:

Living machines

Rage Against The Machine addresses racism in documentary (video)
on January 19, 2021 at 2:01 pm
U.S. Capitol has many artists addressing the country’s racial and economic divide, but revolutionary rockers Rage Against The Machine have always been on the frontlines in their music and personal ...
Stair climber and step machines for a tough and effective at-home workout
on January 19, 2021 at 8:47 am
You promised you’d go to the gym after work, but when the end of the day rolls around nothing sounds worse. Then you set your alarm an hour and a half earlier to make it to that early morning spin ...
US Army is building Terminator-like war robots that use living tissue
on January 19, 2021 at 8:03 am
US Army researchers are developing Terminator-like robots with lab grown living tissue. The team is working to replace traditional actuators with muscle to produce better agility and versatility.
Senior Living Communities Gain Opportunity to Increase Occupancy
on January 19, 2021 at 5:49 am
Occupancy.AI announces the launch of its Software as a Service (SaaS) Martech intuitive cloud solution that enables providers of senior ...
The Man Who Reincarnated 'The Flying Machine'
on January 17, 2021 at 10:42 pm
Founder plans to achieve fully e-commerce enabled website with 100 per cent marketing automation, lead generation campaigns across Facebook and Google with online-offline sync to create awareness abou ...