At Their Best! These Robots Harness Fungal Energy
Using Fungi to Control Robots
Fungi could be the secret to the operation of future robots, more versatile and durable. This is the theory that led to an experiment where engineers at Cornell University used fungi to control machines.
The Most Common Fungus
To see if these benefits could be taken advantage of with biohybrids, scientists cultivated mycelium structures of king oyster mushrooms, one of the most commonly eaten mushrooms in the world, within a 3D-printed scaffold. The scaffold had integrated electrodes at the base, and as the mycelium grew, they fused with these electrodes. The scaffold was then attached to a five-legged robot shaped like a starfish, made of rigid and soft materials. Assistant Professor Robert Shepherd of the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell led the new study published in Science Robotics.
The mycelium generated electrical signals when exposed to ultraviolet light. When researchers illuminated the fungi with light, they electrically stimulated the electrodes which were used to successfully control the robot’s legs, causing it to straighten up.
The fungi were connected to another robot, and again they were able to make it work by illuminating them. The experiment was so successful that researchers are considering its potential practical applications. They demonstrated “the potential for their application in the real world, perhaps in agriculture or security,” the researchers wrote. They also pointed out that there are challenges before being able to use these methods in the real world because the electrical signals emitted by the fungi weakened over time. And fungi, like animals, have the annoying habit of dying.
In summary, let’s not think of a future with Terminator-like machines powered by fungi. That’s already…
