Engineers are always looking for new ways to build robots and other machines to more efficiently perform any task assigned to them.
Some researchers at Cornell University recently created an interesting robot that is actually a hybrid of a conventional machine and a biological life form.
The research team created this “biohybrid” robot by growing mycelium inside the robot and using the mycelium to provide input to the robotic system.
Mycelium is connective tissue used by fungal communities, and mycelium allows organisms to share information over relatively long distances.
This mushroom communication has been studied in the past, and it was found that environmental changes in mushrooms in one region can trigger a response in mushrooms in another region, thanks to electrical signals transmitted through hyphae. did.
The researchers further explained in a press release:
“By growing mycelium into robot electronics, we were able to enable the biohybrid machine to sense and react to its environment.”
This research required experts from multiple disciplines to collaborate to create an organic robot hybrid. They discussed this further and said:
“You need a background in mechanical engineering, electronics, mycology, neurobiology, some type of signal processing. All these disciplines work together to build this type of system.”
The research team published the results of their experiment with the mushroom-powered robot in the journal Science Robotics. They had the robots perform a variety of tasks, including walking and rolling, overriding native mycelium signals, and reacting to ultraviolet light.
They also released a video of the biohybrid robot in action. ×.
This is a very interesting study and may have important applications in various technological fields, including agricultural applications.
The researchers commented as follows:
“This kind of project is about more than just controlling a robot. It’s also about creating a real connection with living systems, because once you hear the signals, you understand what’s going on. Maybe the signals are coming from some kind of stress. We can’t visualize these signals, but the robot does, so we can see a physical reaction. .”
Using organic systems as inputs to robotic systems is very interesting and it will be important to see where this area of research leads.
A new horror is revealed: biohybrid robots may take over the world.
If you found this interesting, you might want to read about simulations of quantum computers in which “time is reversed” and the physics may never be the same.
Category: SCI/Technology
Tags: · biohybrid, hybrid robotics, mushrooms, mycelium, organic robots, research, robots, science, single topic, technology, top
