Scientists from Cornell University in New York have built two new robots; one is a soft spider-like robot and the other a wheeled robot. Both are controlled by a fungus.
The machines are what's known as biohybrid robots – robots made from a combination of living systems, such as cells and tissues. Scientists have been making biohybrid robots from plant and animal cells for a while now, but they are complicated, expensive and sensitive things, with limited lifespans.
In contrast, fungi can be easily cultured and are robust in extreme conditions, say the inventors of the two new robots.
By harnessing fungal mycelia's innate electrical signals, the researchers discovered a new way of controlling these robots that can potentially react to their environment better than their synthetic counterparts. Their findings, published in the journal Science Robotics, may shape the robots of the future.
Fungal mycelia are the underground vegetative part of mushrooms. They can sense chemical and biological signals, explains Rob Shepherd, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University, and one of the authors of the paper.
"By growing mycelium into the electronics of a robot, we were able to allow the biohybrid machine to sense and respond to the environment," says Shepherd.
"In this case we used light as the input, but in the future it will be chemical. The potential for future robots could be to sense soil chemistry in row crops and decide when to add more fertiliser, for example, perhaps mitigating downstream effects of agriculture like harmful algal blooms."
Agriculture is one industry that could benefit from fungus-controlled robots, but they could also be used in extreme environments and hazardous sites, according to the authors, who say that mushrooms can survive radiation better than many other organisms. Their ability to withstand extreme conditions means they could also be used for marine monitoring or exploration.
The sheer abundance of fungi around the world means that creating these types of robots could benefit people and countries with fewer resources.
"Living systems respond to touch, they respond to light, they respond to heat, they respond to even some unknowns, like signals," says Anand Mishra, the study's lead author.
"If you wanted to build future robots, how can they work in an unexpected environment? We can leverage these living systems, and any unknown input comes in, the robot will respond to that."
"This paper is the first of many that will use the fungal kingdom to provide environmental sensing and command signals to robots to improve their levels of autonomy," Shepherd says.
Find out more about the study: Sensorimotor control of robots mediated by electrophysiological measurements of fungal mycelia
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