Researchers at Cornell University and University of Florence have created some very strange robots. The robots, which look sort of like a plastic starfish on wheels, are novel in that they are not controlled by microchips. Instead, they are controlled by electrical impulses and an edible type of mushroom “grown” into their electronics. And these weird little machines might someday be a superior tool for detecting soil chemistry and other important agriculture processes.
The research team says it has created a new type of “living” or “biohybrid” robot that uses mycelium – the root-like structure that fungi use to communicate chemically – to create a mechanical control signal. The experiments used biological material from King Oyster mushrooms due to the particularly fibrous type of hyphae – cells encapsulated in an organic tube-like structure used to transmit bioelectric signals – the mushrooms generate.
Their tests found that changing light conditions trigger natural electrical impulses within the fungus that can be used to make it move. Different types of light, such as ultraviolet, change the movement.
Anand Mishra from Cornell’s Organic Robotics Lab and the study’s lead author, says mycelium is particularly well-suited for biohybrid robots. Some previous biohybrid robots have been powered by animal or plant cells, which are often sensitive to environmental factors and have short lifespans. Fungi, however, can be easily cultured and are “robust in extreme conditions.”
Mycelium is also unique because it possesses innate bioelectric properties and can sense and respond to chemical, radiological, and biological cues. “These capabilities allow it to act both as a sensor and a controller within the robot,” explains Mishra.
The biology also allows for “dynamic interactions with the environment and real-time adaptation to changes,” something Mishra says is challenging to achieve with traditional mechatronic systems (mechanical systems integrated with electronics and software). “Living systems respond to touch, they respond to light, they respond to heat, they respond to even some unknowns, like signals,” said Mishra. “That’s why we think, OK, if you wanted to build future robots, how can they work in an unexpected environment?” Mishra says that incorporating living material allows machines to better mimic the way living creatures move, function, and sense their environment.
In future mycological experiments, Cornell researchers plan to move away from using light exposure to test the organic sensors. Instead, they’ll opt for solely chemical and biological cues to avoid any negative reactions light may cause in mycelial structures.
“The potential for future robots could be to sense soil chemistry in row crops and decide when to add more fertilizer, for example, perhaps mitigating downstream effects of agriculture like harmful algal blooms,” said Rob Shepherd, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell Engineering. The researchers have posted a video demonstrating their mushroom robot in action HERE. (Sources: Science, National Geographic, Gizmodo)
