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Biotechnology has taken a big step towards uniting living organisms with machines, but in a much more complex way than a “simple” one. physical modification. In the United States, researchers managed to produce, using the stem cells of African frogs of the species Xenopus laevis, a small robot, named xenobot, capable of moving autonomously and even carrying out shipments. 523e1h
These actions are possible through small legs that propel the little robot's body, which has a slight depression to be able to hug and carry mini objects. As researcher Michael Levin, director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, says, “These are entirely new forms of life. There has never been anything like it on Earth”, adding that “these are programmable living organisms”.
Innovative creation method 2rlp
The robots, smaller than 1 mm in size, were produced using a supercomputer with an algorithm called an “evolutionary algorithm”. From there, the programming generates random 3D configurations of 500 to 1000 heart and skin cells. Each of these 3D models is virtually tested so viability can be determined, such as how much movement there is when the heart cell is working. After being tested, the most viable models are selected and others are produced based on these first ones.
The behavior of the cardiac cell, with spontaneous contraction and relaxation, works like a small engine that keeps the little robot running as long as it has enough energy reserve to last 7 to 10 days of work before total shutdown. The xenobots were built in the lab only after 100 generations of the primary model had been chosen, using cauterization tools and tweezers to work with skin and heart cells taken from African frog embryos.
Possibilities and implications for xenobots 3qx4e
According to Joshua Bongard, a senior researcher on the team at the University of Vermont, "It's impossible to predict how this new technology will be applied, so we can only guess." Among the possibilities, xenobots could remove fatty plaques from arteries, deliver drugs directly into the body and clean up microplastic pollution, scientists say.
Sam Kriegman, PhD student on the team at the University of Vermont, points out the ethical and bioethical implications that may and will be involved in the development of this project in the future, as there is the possibility of creating variations with nervous systems selected by cognitive ability.
“It is important to me that all this is public, so that we can discuss with society and the best policies and courses of action can be formulated.”, he says. “No need, however, to worry about xenobots threatening humanity, as “if you watch the video, it’s pretty hard to fear that these little things will rebel at some point.”
Sam Kriegman, PhD student on the team at the University of Vermont
The work points to the creation of something more than a mollusk robot, as Michael Levin recalls. “The goal is to understand the software of life,” he says. "If you think about birth defects, cancer, age-related diseases, they can all be solved if we understand how biological structures are made, have full control over growth and shape."
For Thomas Douglas, Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Uehiro Center for Ethical Practice, “There is an interesting moral question about xenobots. At what point will they become beings who have interests and will fight to defend them? I think they will acquire moral significance only if neural tissues are included that allow for some sort of mental life, such as the ability to feel pain.
In addition, he comments that “some are more liberal about moral status. They think that all living creatures have interests that must be considered morally. For these people, difficult questions can arise as to whether these xenobots should be classified as living creatures or machines.”
Possibility of strength and durability 2e3h2z
While robotics enthusiasts prefer plastics and metals for strength and durability, there are unique benefits to the biological material, such as self-repair in case of equal damage occurs in wound healing, and the ability to “turn off” when the goal is met. and dissolve naturally like any natural material. “They are very small, but we intend to make them at scale.”, says Levin, and there are possibilities to produce robots with sensory cells, venous, arterial and nervous systems, and even rudimentary eyes, and coming from mammalian cells. , xenobots will be able to “live” in dry environments.
Source: The Guardian
