Xenobots are the futuristic breed of living robots that can build themselves. According to reports, researchers from Harvard University, Tufts University, and the University of Vermont discovered that their frog cell-based Xenobots can self-reproduce. The custom-made organisms can collect “hundreds” of different cells in their dishes to create baby bots that grow up in a matter of days. As this occurs repeatedly, you could exploit the reproduction to accumulate as many robots as you need to distribute medications, clear microplastics from rivers, or do other small-scale jobs.
The mechanism of replication is as noteworthy as the bots themselves. The cells would typically evolve into tadpole skin, but the computer-designed cell mix employs “kinematic” (motion-based) reproduction, which is only observed in molecules. According to research leader Sam Kriegman, no known animal or plant reproduces in this manner – the robots essentially defied the ‘laws’ of biology.
Indeed, the researchers are aware of the technological and ethical issues that arise when robots duplicate themselves without prompting. According to project co-leader Joshua Bongard, the team’s objective is to understand self-reproduction and discover how to “control it, direct it, douse it, exaggerate it.” Perfecting this process in a closely regulated lab environment might lead to carefully controlled growth. This, in turn, might lead to regenerative medicine and anti-pollution techniques that were previously inconceivable.
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