Researchers create the world's first living, programmable robots
Summary
TLDRResearchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University have created 'Zeno BOTS,' millimeter-wide living machines from African clawed frog stem cells. These programmable organisms, defined by an evolutionary algorithm, can move and potentially carry payloads. Observing their apparent cooperation, scientists foresee applications in drug delivery, arterial plaque removal, and radioactive waste cleanup. The study of these brainless yet seemingly collaborative entities may lead to breakthroughs in biology, computer science, and robotics.
Takeaways
- 🧬 Researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University have created living machines, which are neither traditional robots nor known animal species.
- 🐸 These living machines, called Xenobots (Zeno BOTS), are made using the stem cells of the African clawed frog.
- 🤖 Xenobots are millimeter-wide blobs that are programmable and can be shaped by an evolutionary algorithm on a supercomputer.
- 🚶♂️ The initial Xenobots were designed to perform basic tasks like moving in a certain direction, using frog skin cells for structure and heart and muscle cells for movement.
- 🔄 Later versions of Xenobots were built with holes to reduce drag and enable them to carry payloads.
- 🤝 The researchers observed the Xenobots seemingly cooperating and moving in circles to push pellets into a central location.
- 🧠 Despite lacking any gray matter, these organisms are capable of communication and collaboration.
- 🛠️ The potential applications of Xenobots include drug delivery, arterial plaque removal, and radioactive waste cleanup.
- 🔬 The research is in its early stages, with a focus on understanding how these brainless organisms can exhibit complex behaviors.
- 💡 Insights from Xenobots could lead to significant developments in biology, computer science, and robotics.
- 🔮 The full capabilities of Xenobots are yet to be discovered, and the public is encouraged to stay informed about their progress and other scientific advancements.
Q & A
What are Zeno Bots?
-Zeno Bots are tiny living machines developed by researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University, made from the stem cells of the African clawed frog and designed to perform basic tasks.
What makes Zeno Bots unique compared to traditional robots or animals?
-Zeno Bots are unique because they are living, programmable organisms that are neither traditional robots nor known species of animals. They exhibit behaviors that are a result of their biological makeup and programmability.
How were the initial shapes of Zeno Bots determined?
-The initial shapes of Zeno Bots were defined by an evolutionary algorithm running on the University of Vermont's deep green supercomputer cluster.
What role do frog skin cells play in the Zeno Bots?
-Frog skin cells provide the basic passive structure for the Zeno Bots, allowing them to maintain their form.
How do heart and muscle cells contribute to the functionality of Zeno Bots?
-Heart and muscle cells give Zeno Bots the ability to move, which is essential for them to perform tasks such as moving in a certain direction.
What improvements were made in later versions of Zeno Bots?
-Later versions of Zeno Bots were built with holes in their centers to reduce drag and even allowed them to carry payloads.
What behavior of Zeno Bots indicated to researchers that they were on the right track?
-Researchers noticed Zeno Bots cooperating by moving around in circles and pushing pellets into a central location, which suggested complex behaviors emerging from simple units.
What potential applications do researchers foresee for Zeno Bots in the future?
-Potential applications include drug delivery to targeted organs, arterial plaque removal, and cleaning up radioactive waste, after further development and fine-tuning.
Why is the research team interested in understanding how Zeno Bots communicate and collaborate?
-The team is interested in understanding these behaviors to learn how complex behaviors can emerge from simple base units, which could lead to significant advancements in biology, computer science, and robotics.
What stage is the research on Zeno Bots currently in?
-The research is in its very early stages, with the focus currently on understanding the mechanisms behind the behaviors of these technically brainless organisms.
What can we expect from Zeno Bots in the future?
-While it's too early for practical applications, future developments could lead to staggering advancements in various fields once the capabilities and behaviors of Zeno Bots are fully understood.
Outlines
🤖 Living Machines: Zeno BOTS
Researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University have developed a new form of living machines, termed Zeno BOTS. These millimeter-wide organisms are created using the stem cells of the African clawed frog and are shaped by an evolutionary algorithm on a supercomputer. Unlike traditional robots or known animal species, Zeno BOTS are living entities with programmable capabilities. The initial design aimed for basic tasks, such as directional movement, utilizing frog skin cells for structure and heart and muscle cells for mobility. Advanced versions were engineered to reduce drag and even transport payloads. The researchers observed unexpected cooperative behaviors among the Zeno BOTS, such as collective movement and pellet pushing. The potential applications of these self-healing machines are vast, including drug delivery, arterial plaque removal, and radioactive waste cleanup. However, the research is in its nascent stage, with the team focusing on understanding the communication and collaborative mechanisms of these brainless organisms. The discovery could lead to significant advancements in biology, computer science, and robotics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Living Machines
💡Zeno BOTS
💡Stem Cells
💡Evolutionary Algorithm
💡Self-Healing Machines
💡Drug Delivery
💡Plaque Removal
💡Radioactive Waste
💡Collaboration
💡Complex Behaviors
💡Biological Robotics
Highlights
Researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University have developed tiny living machines called XenoBOTS, which are programmable organisms.
XenoBOTS are made using the stem cells of the African clawed frog and are woven together into specific shapes using an evolutionary algorithm.
The XenoBOTS are designed to perform basic tasks such as moving in a certain direction, with frog skin cells providing the structure and heart and muscle cells enabling movement.
Later versions of XenoBOTS were built with holes in their centers to reduce drag and allow them to carry payloads.
Researchers observed XenoBOTS seemingly cooperating and moving in circles to push pellets into a central location.
Despite being technically brainless, XenoBOTS are able to communicate and collaborate with each other, raising questions about how complex behaviors emerge from simple base units.
The potential applications of XenoBOTS include drug delivery to targeted organs, arterial plaque removal, and radioactive waste cleanup.
The research is in its early stages, and the team is currently focused on understanding how XenoBOTS communicate and collaborate.
Understanding the communication and collaboration of XenoBOTS could lead to significant developments in biology, computer science, and robotics.
The XenoBOTS project represents a novel approach to creating living machines that are programmable and have potential practical applications.
The development of XenoBOTS was announced by researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University.
The XenoBOTS were created using an evolutionary algorithm and the University of Vermont's deep green supercomputer cluster.
The initial batch of XenoBOTS was designed with the goal of performing very basic tasks.
The XenoBOTS are capable of self-healing, which is a significant feature for their potential applications.
The researchers are currently observing and studying the XenoBOTS to understand their capabilities and behavior.
The XenoBOTS project is an example of interdisciplinary research combining biology, computer science, and robotics.
Transcripts
now I wouldn't normally associate the
words living and robot and I doubt a lot
of you would either but we can't say the
same about researchers at the University
of Vermont and Tufts University they
announced this week that they have
successfully developed tiny living
machines of sorts to paraphrase
researcher Joshua Bongard these aren't
traditional robots or a known species of
animal these are something else entirely
these are living programmable organisms
the team calls these millimeter wide
blobs Zeno BOTS which they made using
the stem cells of the African clawed
frog once those stem cells have been
left to incubate for a while they were
woven together into specific shapes
defined by an evolutionary algorithm
running on the University of Vermont's
deep green supercomputer cluster the
first batch of samples were designed to
perform very basic tasks like moving in
a certain direction with frog skin cells
providing the basic passive structure of
the Zeno BOTS while heart and muscle
cells gave them the ability to move
later versions were built with holes in
their centers which reduce drag and even
allowed them to carry payloads the team
knew they were on to something when they
spotted Zeno BOTS appearing to cooperate
moving around in circles and pushing
pellets into a central location
I say appearing to you because these
things are just skin and muscle there is
there is no gray matter here at all in
any case it didn't take long for
researchers to see the possibilities
here after a lot of future fine-tuning
these self-healing machines could be
used to deliver drugs to targeted organs
scrape the plaque out of your arteries
or even clean up radioactive waste this
research is obviously in its very early
stages so don't expect to hear about
these little guys running wild any time
soon for now the team seems more
interested in understanding the method
by which these technically brainless
organisms are able to communicate and
seemingly collaborate with each other
if we can figure out how complex
behaviors emerge from simple base units
like these Zeno BOTS well that could
make for staggering developments not
just in the field of biology but in
computer science and robotics - for now
though all we can really do is sit back
and wait to see what these things are
really capable of if you're curious to
learn more about these you know BOTS and
really everything else going on in tech
and science be sure to keep it locked on
a gadget and thanks for watching
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