CONSTRUCTION OF LIVING ROBOTS-by Alabhyaa Bhambri

LIVING ROBOTS:

We are very much familiar with the concept of robots, that is, they are a type of automated machine that can execute specific tasks with little or no human intervention and with speed and precision. But what are living robots? Living robots are not very different, just the fact that they are built using biological cells and tissues rather than using wires and metal. The cells help in self healing of any injuries. But the purpose of living robots remains same; that is to perform desired functions without requiring human intervention.

ROLE OF FROGS IN MAKING LIVING ROBOTS:

Who knew frogs could contribute with such an immaculate advancement in science industry!

The cells of the African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) are used to make living robots. The stem cells (500-1000 cells) of early frog embryos, also called the frogs in blastula stage, are used in the formation of skin cells and heart muscle cells, which are the two components of which living robots are formed, due to which they are able to walk, swim, push pellets, carry payloads and work together in groups, and survive for weeks without food. The skin cells provide rigid support whereas the heart cells act as small motors, contracting and expanding in volume. These living robots are known as Xenobots, due to the stem cell source, Xenopus laevis. Xenobots are not even a millimetre wide; their approximate width would be 0.039 inches. As the director of Allen discovery centre has also mentioned that these are entirely new life forms and have never existed before, that is because Xenobots consist of two stumpy legs supporting the movement.

FORMATION PROCESS:

Once the embryonic stem cells are extracted, they are shaped according to their designated function with the help of microsurgery. In that duration, the cells formulate into skin cells and heart cells. The varieties in their shapes play a major role in their functional capacities. Before the alteration in biological structures, with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm, an evolutionary algorithm in a supercomputer can predict the variety of possibilities linking different shapes to different functions. This algorithm is also responsible of designating a desired function figuring out the various designs in which they can be carried out.

PROS AND CONS:

Being a biobot made of stem cells, it will be ecologically beneficial since the cells are biodegradable and can be buried once damaged, therefore, causing less environmental harm in comparison to traditional robots. Similar to Trojan horse carbon nanotubes (nanotechnology), which have recently been designed to fight atherosclerosis (a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries) by entering bloodstream, these

Xenobots might be potentially used to deliver various medicinal drugs, early detection or destruction of cancer. If not then they could help in the formation of such biobots that could perform such tasks. Now considering the ethical issues of Xenobots and the possibility that if they contain skin and heart cells, they might be able to formulate a nervous system, sensory cells or blood vessels. The fact that they could have nervous system raises the concern about cognitive potential. But seeing the size and making of the stem cells, it is likely that they would cause a Xenobot apocalypse.

POTENTIAL ADVANCEMENTS:

Since Xenobots cannot reproduce and lack the ability to self-sustain, they are not considered as living organisms, thus they are ‘life forms’. But with exemplary advancements in the AI and biotechnological industry, it might be possible to artificially integrate Xenobots with the lacking capabilities.