Credit: Unsplash
“Nanomachines, son!”
The idea of “biological robots” is a relatively new one in science fiction, at least as far as my knowledge goes. Basically, the notion is that with the right material and some genetic tinkering, you can create a biological entity that is completely programmable like a robot. We don’t have anything creature-sized yet, but we might be on our way, because some mad scientists in Vermont have created something new and interesting.
The “Xenobot,” named after the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis that it draws DNA from, is a microscopic organic “robot” that can move entirely under its own power. A team of biologists and computer scientists from the University of Vermont created these fascinating little specks by scraping together stem cells from frog embryos, then dividing them into smaller shapes.
Each xenobot has skin cells to form a general body structure, as well as heart muscle cells that allow it to move freely. They can even grow appendages, including little legs, graspers, and small flippers for swimming. Interestingly, due to their simple design, they have impressive self-healing capabilities. One xenobot was sliced in half, but it simply repaired itself and went right on with its day.
Xenobots can have behaviors programmed into them, as well as have their bodies modified to suit those behaviors. They could be given flippers and sent to clean up plastic particles in the ocean. They could travel through human arteries to deliver medicine or scrape off plaque. They could even directly attack and reprogram cancerous tumors to make them shrink. They don’t need regular maintainece, either; load them up with some proteins, and they can survive for up to two weeks without any additional fuel in almost any environment.
Research continues on the little guys. If we can get them to work together, they could be quite the force for good (and hopefully not result in a “grey goo” situation).
