A Robot and Fungi Merge To Become One

Fungi can now control robots

Fungi-controlled robot. Image provided by Interesting Engineering

There are two simple robots: a robotic star with five bendable legs and a wheeled robot that rolls. Independently, they seem very simple and fruitless. However, according to CNN, when they merge with a living organism called the king oyster mushroom, they could be a huge advancement to biohybrid robots, which combine biological, living materials, and synthetic components.

How the Machine Works

According to National Geographic, the researchers first cultivated mycelia from king oyster mushrooms. These mushrooms are easy to grow and maintain, making them the perfect fungi to use. They guided the cultivated mycelia to grow onto a 3D-printed scaffold full of electrodes.

When there are changes to the environment, such as light levels, the mycelia give off electrical impulses, like the ones our brains give off. Since the mycelial network is connected to the electrodes, the computer can convert the electrical impulses to digital commands. Those commands are sent to the robots’ valves and motors, telling them to move in the direction that the mycelium wants to move. Animal neurons inspired this computer conversion of electrical impulses to commands. For instance, our brain tells our muscles to move through commands.

Ethical Dilemma

Some ethical considerations are made with these robots. According to Earth, what rights should these biohybrid robots possess if we allow these “living” machines to perceive and interact in this world? Additionally, fostering public understanding and being clear on these machines' potential risks and benefits are pivotal in gaining societal support.

Future Purpose

The researchers in the lab hope one day that biohybrid robots will venture off into the world and be useful, said CNN. For instance, robot jellyfish could explore oceans, and cyborg cockroaches could search for survivors in rubble after earthquakes.

They can also be used for agriculture, National Geographic states. Fungi are sensitive to their environment, meaning they can detect chemical contaminants, poisons, or pathogens in crop fields better than synthetic robots. Detecting radiation at hazardous sites can also be a future purpose for these robots. Moreover, fungal cells can survive in extreme conditions, according to Anand Mishra, an engineer at Cornell University and another author of the study. These cells can survive better than animal or plant biohybrid robots in very salty water, severe cold, and other extreme conditions.

Biohybrid robots are also effective because of their sustainability. Using biology, these robots can be effective in the environment they normally live in. For instance, a biohybrid robot made from plant cells could help with reforestation. A robot made from a person’s cells could be helpful in a person’s body. Fungi are everywhere, meaning even if an area has few resources, a small amount of mycelium can be sent to that area where it can grow. Then, those areas could also build robots.

These new fungi-controlled robots look promising for longer-term uses because of their accessibility and endurance. The mycelium is very easy to keep alive, so there is potential in longer-mission environmental work, says Vickie Webster-Wood, an engineer at Carnegie Mellon University. In the future, these biohybrid robots could be roaming this world, helping humans and the environment.