{"id":242998,"date":"2025-02-20T11:54:34","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T11:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/meet-5-types-of-robots-with-living-body-parts\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T11:54:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T11:54:34","slug":"meet-5-types-of-robots-with-living-body-parts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/meet-5-types-of-robots-with-living-body-parts\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet 5 types of robots with living body parts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module-sm@2x.png?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Meet 5 types of robots with living body parts\" title=\"Meet 5 types of robots with living body parts\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"video-embed\">\n<p>Nicole Xu reached into a Styrofoam tank to grasp a live moon jellyfish. Quickly and carefully, she inserted a tiny electronic device into the animal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt takes a little bit of practice,\u201d she says. \u201cBut once you know how to do it, it\u2019s very simple and very quick.\u201d Xu is an engineer at the University of Colorado Boulder.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"sn-conversion rich-text alignright\"\/>\n<p>She handed the jellyfish to a pair of divers waiting in the shallow water off of an ocean pier in Woods Hole, Mass. The divers took the animal down to the bottom of the ocean, then released it. Speedily, it swam up to the surface.<\/p>\n<p>Jellies swim by pumping water through their bodies. The device that Xu inserted used electricity to jolt the jellyfish\u2019s muscles so they pumped faster. It reached the surface <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2313-7673\/5\/4\/64\" rel=\"noopener\">more than twice as fast as usual<\/a>. In lab tests, the device <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.aaz3194\" rel=\"noopener\">tripled the animals\u2019 speed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With its speed-boosting implant, this jellyfish is a biohybrid robot. That means it contains electronics that interact with a living system. Researchers are building biohybrid robots with all sorts of living parts. They\u2019ve experimented with insect antennae, human skin and muscle tissue, pill bugs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/plant-fungi-biohybrid-robots\">fungus<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n<section class=\"newsletter-signup__wrapper___lZ0W1 wp-block-house-ads wp-block-newsletter-signup\">\n<picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module@1x.png 1x,&#10;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module@2x.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module-sm@1x.png 1x,&#10;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module-sm@2x.png 2x\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<div class=\"newsletter-signup__container___srNOL\" data-component=\"newsletter-signup\">\n<h3 class=\"newsletter-signup__heading___0EHmb\">\n\t\t\tEducators and Parents, Sign Up for The Cheat Sheet\t\t<\/h3>\n<div class=\"newsletter-signup__message___pemaq\">\n<p>Weekly updates to help you use <em>Science News Explores<\/em> in the learning environment<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"newsletter-signup__thankyou___K6GGN\">Thank you for signing up!<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-signup__error___hCsJI\">There was a problem signing you up.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>It may seem creepy or weird to mash-up technology and living parts. But organisms have evolved to perform certain tasks over millions of years. In many cases, that allows their bodies to do things that remain difficult or even impossible for machines.<\/p>\n<p>By combining biology and engineering, you can \u201ccreate robots with capabilities beyond traditional machines,\u201d says Shoji Takeuchi. He develops biohybrid robots at the University of Tokyo in Japan.<\/p>\n<p>Cyborg jellyfish are just the beginning. Here are some of the most surprising, yet very real, examples of creature-machine combos \u2014 and the types of tasks they might be uniquely suited to accomplish.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"644\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_AngelaFan_illustration.jpg\" alt=\"an illustration showing how blue bottle caps with toothpicks attached perpendicular to the bottom of the bottlecap, can be used for jellyfish robots\" class=\"wp-image-3150519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_AngelaFan_illustration.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_AngelaFan_illustration-613x383.jpg 613w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_AngelaFan_illustration-720x450.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_AngelaFan_illustration-297x186.jpg 297w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_AngelaFan_illustration-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_AngelaFan_illustration-928x580.jpg 928w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3150519\">It doesn\u2019t take high-tech materials to turn a jellyfish into a cyborg. Xu\u2019s team put its electronic device inside a bottle cap (blue) and used a toothpick to stick the cap to the jellyfish. The texture of the wooden toothpick keeps it stuck in place inside the animal\u2019s squishy body.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3150519\">Angela Fan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Cyborg jellyfish explorers<\/h2>\n<p>Xu is a big fan of jellyfish. Posters and artwork featuring the animals adorn her walls. She\u2019s also in the process of building a larger jellyfish tank for her lab. It will sit in the window and be large enough to hold \u201cdinner-plate-sized jellyfish,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Xu\u2019s long-term goal is to turn teams of cyborg jellies into ocean explorers. \u201cWe could disperse them into a region of interest in the ocean, have them collect data for us and then go back to drop off the data,\u201d she says. The jellies\u2019 living bodies would power their movement. Their electronic parts would direct this motion and collect data.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignleft is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"nlu60odhfPo\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Stanford Research Project Turns Common Jellyfish Into Bionic Sea Creatures\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nlu60odhfPo?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nicole Xu appeared on local television to talk about her cyborg jellyfish.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are a couple reasons cyborg jellyfish might be better for this job than typical robots.<\/p>\n<p>For one thing, the moon jellyfish is \u201cthe most energy-efficient animal in the world,\u201d says Xu. That means it powers its movements with less energy than any other creature. Mechanical robots, in contrast, are energy hogs. Typical underwater robots guzzle 10 to 1,000 times more power for their size than Xu\u2019s biohybrid jellies.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, standard robots tend to scare away sea creatures with their noise and lights. But moon jellies are common in oceans around the world. \u201cOur robotic system isn\u2019t freaking out different animals,\u201d says Xu.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"pH5CVb7yjFw\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bionic Jellyfish Swim Faster, More Efficiently\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pH5CVb7yjFw?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nicole Xu and John Dabiri developed a device that works a bit like a pacemaker. It prompts a jellyfish to open and close its body more often, greatly increasing its swimming speed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Experimenting with animals comes with important responsibilities. Researchers must consider the animals\u2019 welfare. Xu points out that jellyfish are \u201cvery simple systems.\u201d They have no brain or pain receptors. So it shouldn\u2019t hurt them to get outfitted with robotic parts. And they probably don\u2019t understand that their movements are being controlled. Still, her team is careful to let the animals rest and recover in between experiments.<\/p>\n<p>Xu\u2019s trip to Woods Hole took place in 2019. At the time, she was a graduate student working with John Dabiri. He is an engineer who runs a lab at Caltech in Pasadena. Now, both of their labs are spiffing out jellyfish. Dabiri\u2019s team is putting sensors inside <a href=\"https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.1088\/1748-3190\/ad277f\" rel=\"noopener\">a stylish hat<\/a> for the critters. The sensors measure things like water temperature and chemistry. A wooden pin inserted through the jellyfish connects the sensors to the plastic cap, holding everything in place. The hat\u2019s shape also helps increase the animal\u2019s swimming speed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"_ZfthP_7s5g\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Robotic Jellyfish Explorers\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_ZfthP_7s5g?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Dabiri and his team developed a hat for jellyfish that could hold sensors. This could help turn the animal into an ocean-exploring cyborg. \u201cWe can do this in a way that doesn\u2019t harm the animals and\u00a0they\u2019re able to continue with their lives after we remove the attachment,\u201d Dabiri says in the video.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile, Xu\u2019s lab is looking for a way to direct jellyfish where to go. The device she tested in 2019 could only make a jellyfish go up or down. \u201cTurning is an extremely challenging problem,\u201d she says. That\u2019s \u201cbecause of how delicately the jellyfish buoyancy is balanced with the surrounding water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One option her team is considering would work sort of like a horse\u2019s reins. Weighting the animal in one direction or another could make it turn.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"696\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_locust_lab.jpg\" alt=\"a mottled brown locus on a white surface, it is missing most of one antennae\" class=\"wp-image-3150515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_locust_lab.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_locust_lab-567x383.jpg 567w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_locust_lab-666x450.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_locust_lab-275x186.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_locust_lab-768x519.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_locust_lab-858x580.jpg 858w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3150515\">This locust lives at Amir Ayali\u2019s lab. The researchers snipped off one of its antennae for their robot. But the insect can get by just fine using its other antenna.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3150515\">Amir Ayali lab\/Tel Aviv University<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Insect antenna sniffers<\/h2>\n<p>At Tel Aviv University in Israel, Amir Ayali cares for a colony of locusts. He studies insect brains and behavior. And recently, he has been developing insect-based tech.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re looking for inspiration in nature for your engineering or technological innovation, insects are a great place to look,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Locusts are very quiet animals, but \u201ca little smelly,\u201d he says. They also happen to be quite good at smelling. Locusts don\u2019t have noses like ours. But the antennae that extend from their heads detect odors. In fact, locusts are \u201cmuch, much better\u201d at smelling than the best robotic noses are, says Ayali. In 2023, his team debuted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0956566322009599?via%3Dihub\" rel=\"noopener\">robot car that uses a locust antenna to sniff out odors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"YuB6akSlVE4\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A scientific first: A robot able to \u201csmell\u201d using a biological sensor\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YuB6akSlVE4?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Amir Ayali\u2019s team built this<strong> <\/strong>robot car to sniff out odors. They imagine that someday it might drive around to seek out certain smells. Inside the yellow box on top of the car, a single locust antenna rests in a special holder. When the antenna detects an odor, it produces a unique electrical signal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Getting the antenna is easy. \u201cWe very delicately cut an antenna from the locust,\u201d Ayali says. This insect \u201ccan survive happily\u201d with just one antenna. And the severed antenna remains alive and sensing for around 12 hours \u2014 or longer if kept cold.<\/p>\n<p>As different odors waft into the antenna, it responds with electrical signals. Normally, these signals would travel to the locust\u2019s brain. Inside the robot, electrodes capture the signal. Next, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-machine-learning\">machine learning<\/a> software recognizes the unique patterns of different odors. \u201cWe eavesdrop on the information,\u201d says Ayali.<\/p>\n<p>An insect-based robot built at the University of Washington in Seattle<a href=\"https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.1088\/1748-3190\/abbd81\" rel=\"noopener\"> uses a moth antenna<\/a> to detect scents. And it flies. The creators call it a Smellicopter.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"8SGx2qmo9M4\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&#039;Smellicopter&#039; uses moth antenna to locate odor source\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8SGx2qmo9M4?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Smellicopter can pick up a scent and follow it. If it loses the scent, it will fly back and forth until it finds it again. \u201cThe\u00a0first time it worked it was really amazing,\u201d creator Melanie Anderson says in the video.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ayali\u2019s robot learned to identify eight pure scents, including lemon, rosemary and vanilla. It could also identify odors when they were mixed in with another scent. For these experiments, the team presented all the odors quite close to the antenna. Now, they are modifying the robot to be able to detect and follow odor trails.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, Ayali hopes, this sort of biohybrid robot might help sniff out bombs or illegal drugs. Or it might help find survivors after a natural disaster. When the antenna it\u2019s using wears out, Ayali imagines that a robot\u2019s handlers could just click in a new one.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Naturally nimble grippers<\/h2>\n<p>Robots have a lot of trouble <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/easy-for-you-tough-for-a-robot-artificial-intelligence\">picking up objects<\/a>. But plenty of critters can latch easily onto a wide variety of surfaces \u2014 even delicate or slippery ones.<\/p>\n<p>A team of Japanese researchers decided to <a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2306.03906\" rel=\"noopener\">put pill bugs and mollusks to work<\/a> as robotic hands. Pill bugs have fourteen tiny legs that easily grab onto very light or fragile objects. And mollusks have incredible suction strength. They can grip all sorts of different materials underwater.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image  has-alignleft\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/080322_as_spider_inline1.gif\" alt=\"animation of a necrobot gripper picking up a dead wolf spider\" class=\"wp-image-3115999\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3115999\">See how this \u201cnecrobot\u201d gripper, made from a dead wolf spider, picks up another dead spider. The attached syringe pushes fluid in and out of the spider it\u2019s glued to, making the corpse\u2019s legs snap open and shut.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3115999\">T.F. Yap and coauthors<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The researchers crafted harnesses for these small, living creatures and attached each one to the end of a robot arm. The pill bug grasped a wisp of cotton. The mollusk glommed on to pieces of plastic and wood underwater, lifting up the objects.<\/p>\n<p>Though the animals did a great job grabbing things, getting them to let go wasn\u2019t as easy. The researchers are now looking into ways to better control the animals\u2019 natural reflexes. The team posted a paper about their research on arXiv.org in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>That project wasn\u2019t the first time researchers had used whole animals to grab things. In 2022, a team at Rice University <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/dead-wolf-spiders-robots-necrobots\">used dead spiders as robotic grippers<\/a>. They coined the fittingly creepy term \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/advs.202201174\" rel=\"noopener\">necrobotics<\/a>\u201d to describe this type of dead body-based machinery. The dead spider bodies, though, were fragile. Living bodies or their parts tend to be quite strong. They can grow and repair themselves.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Beating heart cell swimmers<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image  has-alignright\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"1033\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged.jpg\" alt=\"a small blue chip with white flaps on either side\" class=\"wp-image-3150504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged-382x383.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged-449x450.jpg 449w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged-185x186.jpg 185w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged-768x770.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged-578x580.jpg 578w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged-774x776.jpg 774w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged-214x214.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_winged-80x80.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3150504\">This tiny biohybrid robot would fit atop one fingernail. The wings on each side contain living human cells. When the chip at the center picks up a wireless signal, it can direct one wing or the other to flap.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3150504\">S.R. Shin and Hiroyuki Tetsuka<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Engineer Su Ryon Shin doesn\u2019t just make biohybrid robots. She grows them. The ones she\u2019s working on now \u201clook like a butterfly,\u201d says Shin, who runs a lab at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass. Hiroyuki Tetsuka, a researcher in Shin\u2019s lab, helped develop these swimming robots.<\/p>\n<p>The robotic part of the \u201cbutterfly\u201d is a square device about the size of a fingernail. To turn this component into a biohybrid robot, Shin 3-D prints two wings onto it. The wings are made from a gel-like material that she developed, which contains particles that boost cell growth.<\/p>\n<p>Next, Shin places the winged device into a petri dish with liquid that can keep human cells alive. She dots it here and there with heart cells. She also adds neurons. Though neurons may be best known for powering thinking in the brain, these cells exist throughout the body. The neurons in Shin\u2019s robots come from human muscles. There, they control movement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image  has-alignleft\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"1373\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_Shin_lab.jpg\" alt=\"Sy Ryon Shin in her lab, smiling and holding a petri dish with tiny chips.\" class=\"wp-image-3150376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_Shin_lab.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_Shin_lab-287x383.jpg 287w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_Shin_lab-338x450.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_Shin_lab-140x186.jpg 140w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_Shin_lab-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_Shin_lab-435x580.jpg 435w, https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_jellyfish_Shin_lab-582x776.jpg 582w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3150376\">Su Ryon Shin holds a petri dish with several of the tiny chips that control her robots made with human heart cells. Since these robots contain living cells, they only last for about one month. Shin can reuse the chips to grow more robots.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3150376\">K. Hulick<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Both types of living cells divide and grow to cover the entire butterfly shape. Now, Shin can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.ado0051\" rel=\"noopener\">control the robot using wireless signals<\/a> from a phone. These signals prompt the device to zap cells in either the left or the right wing with electricity. When the neural cells get zapped, they trigger nearby heart cells to beat. This makes the wings flap and the robot swim.<\/p>\n<p>Zapping the heart cells directly would require higher power and a pretty big wireless device, says Shin. The living brain-like network controls the robot more efficiently. This mash-up of neural cells and heart cells doesn\u2019t exist in nature. But it works.<\/p>\n<p>Shin\u2019s inspiration to add living cells to her robots came from another researcher, Kevin Kit Parker. Parker\u2019s lab is nearby at Harvard Stem Cell Institute in Cambridge. He has also grown small, swimming biohybrids from heart cells. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abh0474\" rel=\"noopener\">One looks like a fish<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Parker and Shin both have ambitious end goals for their work. The tiny swimmers are just one stop on this path. They hope to someday grow new hearts or other cyborg body parts for people. These body parts would contain living cells and robotic parts that would trigger the tissue to grow and move naturally.<\/p>\n<p>Getting there, says Shin, will \u201crequire a <em>long<\/em> time.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"PudGp0BeHTw\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Biohybrid fish made from human cardiac cells swims like the heart beats\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PudGp0BeHTw?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The<strong> <\/strong>biohybrid in this video looks just like a fish. But it\u2019s not a real animal. Engineers grew human heart cells into a fish shape. When the cells beat, the fish moves.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Human skin for androids<\/h2>\n<p>When you imagine a robot, you probably think of shiny metal, not living skin. Someday, though, robots might wear skin just like we do.<\/p>\n<p>Shoji Takeuchi and his team found a way to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-reports-physical-science\/fulltext\/S2666-3864(24)00335-7\" rel=\"noopener\">attach living human skin to a robot<\/a>. The robotic structure can move, stretching the skin into a smile.<\/p>\n<p>If you think that\u2019s super creepy, you\u2019re not the only one. \u201cI understand why some people might feel uneasy,\u201d Takeuchi says. The face-like robot falls into something roboticists call the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/brain-region-uncanny-valley-sensation-robots\" rel=\"noopener\">uncanny valley<\/a>. (Uncanny is another word for creepy or weird.) When a robot, doll or other character looks not-quite human, that can make people uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/1030_living_robots_Takeuchi_smile.mp4\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This blob of human skin grew onto a special structure that holds it in place. The structure can move the skin so it appears to smile. The eyes aren\u2019t real. Those were added \u201cto make the robot appear more relatable and visually engaging,\u201d says Takeuchi.<br \/>TAKEUCHI <em>ET AL.<\/em> CC-BY-ND<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t find it creepy because I see it as a scientific achievement,\u201d says Takeuchi. To create this robot, his team first crafted a surface filled with V-shaped holes. Then the researchers added skin cells. These cells grew to cover the surface and filled the holes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis process typically takes about two weeks for the skin to fully form,\u201d says Takeuchi. The cells that grew inside the holes acted like anchors to hold the surface skin in place.<\/p>\n<p>Why build a robot with living skin? Takeuchi has many ideas. Living skin heals itself. So a robot with skin could reform itself after damage, something that metal can\u2019t do. His long-term goal, though, is more lifelike robots. A robot with skin could make more human-like expressions. That might make people feel more comfortable around robots. Robots that are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/social-robot-friend-companion-artificial-intelligence\">better at interacting with people<\/a> \u201ccould be useful in healthcare, companionship and customer service roles,\u201d says Takeuchi.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, the skin has to be immersed in a special liquid to keep the cells alive. And it has no sense of touch. In the future, Takeuchi hopes to add blood vessels that would help keep the skin alive. Then it wouldn\u2019t have to sit in the liquid. He also wants to give the skin the ability to sense touch and temperature.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group cheat-sheet-cta\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Do you have a science question? We can help!<\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/YbhPosFTMqjbSNnV7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Submit your question here<\/a>, and we might answer it an upcoming issue of\u00a0<em>Science News Explores<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is it alive?<\/h2>\n<p>For Shin, the most important application of biohybrid robotics is to support human health. Biohybrid robotic tissues could become part of our bodies. The reverse idea, adding human body parts to robots that act as companions or workers, seems a little scary to Shin.<\/p>\n<p>Biohybrid engineers \u201chave to think carefully about that,\u201d she says. She wouldn\u2019t want human bodies to be treated like a material.<\/p>\n<p>Using body parts from simple animals in robotics is not as controversial. But it\u2019s still important to consider the impact on these living creatures. It may seem that bugs and jellyfish and mollusks aren\u2019t capable of caring about how we use their bodies. But what if we\u2019re wrong about that? Some researchers are finding that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/are-invertebrates-conscious-spiders-bees-crabs\">such creatures might have<\/a> more awareness and feelings than expected.<\/p>\n<p>Living robots also interact with the environment. What if a jellyfish outfitted with electronics got eaten? Xu is hoping to develop biodegradable electronics that wouldn\u2019t harm other animals or pollute the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Biohybrid robots <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/xenobots-biohybrids-living-robots-cell-machine\">blur the line between machine and living thing<\/a>. The jellyfish cyborgs are obviously still alive. But most biohybrids don\u2019t really fit into one category or the other. Shin says of her heart-cell-covered bot: \u201cit\u2019s not a creature.\u201d But it\u2019s not a typical robot, either.<\/p>\n<p>What do you think?<\/p>\n<aside class=\"sn-conversion rich-text\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/5-biohybrid-robots-living-tech\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nicole Xu reached into a Styrofoam tank to grasp a live moon jellyfish. Quickly and carefully, she inserted a tiny electronic device into the animal. \u201cIt takes a little bit of practice,\u201d she says. \u201cBut once you know how to do it, it\u2019s very simple and very quick.\u201d Xu is an engineer at the University [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews-sns-child\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module-sm@2x.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[606],"tags":[2776,112,2485,2262,12640,17314],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242998"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242998"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243000,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242998\/revisions\/243000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}