Researchers have developed new and improved Xenobots, small biological devices made from frog cells that can now organize themselves and act as one body, as well as remember their surroundings.
The updated Xenobots were first developed at the University of Tufts and Vermont, at the same time improving their design, making them faster and more viable. Xenobots were given the opportunity to collectively "work," just like a team of bees.
"Robotics specialists have long observed team behavior in the animal kingdom, and biologists have studied such collective intelligence. These biorobots are something in between, which I think is very interesting," said Josh Bongard, a researcher at the University of Vermont.
Organic machines were created with the help of a supercomputer that used an evolutionary algorithm to create microscopic plans. Xenobots are made from stem cells extracted from frog embryos and are completely biodegradable, promising that they could someday be used in the human body and to clean up the environment.
Crossing the line between biology and inanimate technology is a very responsible thing. Researchers have suggested that they may even have developed a new way of life.
"I do not know what it is, robots, frogs, or anything else; I have no answer," said Bongard.
