Xenobots, a new class of robots made from living cells, have evolved from theory to reality in just a few years. Shortly after first proposing the concept, researchers in 2020 successfully created the first multicellular biobot by harvesting material from frog embryos. From the beginning, their xenobots were able to move, record data, collect materials, self-repair, and reproduce several generations back. Decomposes naturally.
[Related: Meet xenobots, tiny machines made out of living parts.]
Unlike the common image of robots built with electronics and other metal components, bio-organic robots often incorporate genetically modified or induced cells into forms that do not naturally occur within their source bodies. Combine. Initially, the researchers weren’t sure whether their method could be applied to species other than amphibian-derived xenobots. The answers to their questions are already here. Researchers have now developed an “Ans robot,” a biological machine derived from human trachea cells.
As detailed in a new study published Thursday, cutting edge science, Not only can Ansu robots be constructed from adult human cells without the need for genetic modification, they have already proven to be more medically promising than their xenorobot ancestors.
“We wanted to find out what cells can do other than create default functions in the body,” Gizem Gumskaya, a PhD candidate and co-author of the study, explained in the paper. . Announcement on November 30th. “By reprogramming the interactions between cells, we can create new multicellular structures in the same way that we arrange stones and bricks to create various structural elements such as walls, archways, and columns. .”
[Related: Robots built from frog cells have unlocked the ability to self-replicate.]
According to a Nov. 30 announcement, molding the xenobots required painstaking work using tweezers and scalpels. In contrast, Ans robots can self-assemble in a laboratory dish environment and are sourced from adult rather than embryonic cells.
Each Ans robot started out as a single donated tracheal cell covered in arm-like cilia, responsible for sweeping particles out of the airways of the lungs. The researchers manipulated cell growth in a laboratory setting, and previous studies have shown that spherical structures known as organoids are generated randomly. These organoids were then carefully tuned to form outward-facing cilia that served as paddles for locomotion. The use of mutant tracheal cells provided a variety of unrobotic abilities, including the ability to assist in the construction of additional artificial tissues. By combining multiple organoids into a single structure, the researchers created large clusters called “superbots.”
But of all the capabilities of humanoid robots, the most promising is one that has surprised engineers. As it passed over additional layers of human neurons grown in the experimental Petri dish, the Ans robot scratched its surface, encouraging new growth.
“It is very interesting and completely unexpected that normal patient tracheal cells can migrate on their own without altering their DNA and promote neuronal growth across the injured area,” said the study. said co-author Michael Levin, a former professor of biology at Tufts University. In Thursday’s announcement, he said he helped design the xenobots. “We are now investigating how the healing mechanisms work and looking at what else these structures can do.”
As researchers gain a deeper understanding of the capabilities and potential of human robots, the research team believes biomachines can be deployed in a wide range of scenarios. Hypothetically, a swarm of Ansu robots could repair damage to spinal or retinal nerves, identify cancer cell growth, or apply drugs to specific areas of the body.
