Cell-based living robots can reproduce themselves. Game over, man, Game over! (1 Viewer)

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Seems like a great idea.    

It might soon be easy to build living robots — because they'll build themselves. New Scientist reports Harvard University, Tufts University and University of Vermont researchers have learned that their frog cell-based Xenobots can self-reproduce. The custom organisms can collect "hundreds" of individual cells in their dishes to spontaneously assemble baby bots that grow up within a few days. As this happens over and over, you could use the reproduction to amass however robots you need to deliver drugs, remove microplastics from rivers or otherwise complete small-scale tasks.

The replication method is as notable as the bots themselves. The cells would normally develop into tadpole skin, but the computer-designed cell mix instead uses the "kinematic" (motion-based) replication normally seen only with molecules. No known animal or plant reproduces this way, according to study lead Sam Kriegman — the robots effectively broke the 'rules' of biology.

Yes, the researchers are aware of the technical and ethical problems with robots that copy themselves without prompting. The team's goal is to understand the self-reproduction and learn how to "control it, direct it, douse it, exaggerate it," according to project co-leader Joshua Bongard. Honing this development in a tightly-controlled lab could lead to carefully managed growth. That, in turn, could lead to regenerative medicine and anti-pollution tools that simply weren't possible before.

 

[trader jake]

I, for one...

 

[Leroy Hoard]

They had me until they said frog based. That species doesn't have legs to stand on.

 

[rockaction]

Oh yes, they're aware of the ramifications here...nothing to see here...

Good to hear it. A bunch of AI nerds grappling with the existential problems of philosophy...

What could go wrong? 

 

[rockaction]

They had me until they said frog based. That species doesn't have legs to stand on.

Everybody do the Michigan Rag...Everybody do the Michigan Rag...

I swear if they're all a bunch of Michigan J. Frogs, boy those lab guys are gonna be pissed! 

 

[rockaction]

ribbit!

 

[Psychopav]

Oh yes, they're aware of the ramifications here...nothing to see here...

Good to hear it. A bunch of AI nerds grappling with the existential problems of philosophy...

What could go wrong? 

"Tightly controlled lab."  Nothing to worry about, move along.

 

[Ilov80s]

For as smart as we are, we sure seem to have a death wish. 

 

[Captain Cranks]

For as smart as we are, we sure seem to have a death wish. 

We're a pretty dumb species, actually.  We just happen to be smarter than the others. 

 

[squistion]

We're a pretty dumb species, actually.  We just happen to be smarter than the others. 

Evolution rules. 

 

[Psychopav]

We're a pretty dumb species, actually.  We just happen to be smarter than the others. 

For now

 

[TheFatKid]

They created cancer?

 

[IvanKaramazov]

This kind of research sounds dangerous, but all the work is performed in a tightly controlled lab, so there's no way anything could leak out into society.  Nothing to worry about.

 

[dickey moe]

Frognet

 

[dickey moe]

What a croak.

 

[fatness]

I, for one, welcome our tadpole overlords.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Gee, the lack of humility before nature that's being displayed here, uh... staggers me.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I, for one, welcome our tadpole overlords.

With that kind of attitude you will be spared. Maybe you'll be put in charge of rounding up humans to breed for our tasty legs.

 

[GroveDiesel]

The claims are greatly exaggerated.

What they actually were able to accomplish is a lot different than how it’s been portrayed.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Life finds a way…

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

The claims are greatly exaggerated.

What they actually were able to accomplish is a lot different than how it’s been portrayed.

I see they’ve already gotten to Grove.

 

[Rich Conway]

The three laws of robotics are still at the core of the programming, right?

 

[GroveDiesel]

I see they’ve already gotten to Grove.

That is a very laughter inducing observation fellow human!

 

[Charlie Steiner]

The three laws of robotics are still at the core of the programming, right?

The Three Laws will lead to only one logicaloutcome.

 

[mr. furley]

The claims are greatly exaggerated.

What they actually were able to accomplish is a lot different than how it’s been portrayed.

the lead scientist working on this was on NPR's Science Friday last week (maybe the week before) and he poured water on the media headlines.

they aren't "robots" and they aren't "reproducing".

what he explained was there are two types of frog cells being used. heart and skin. the heart cells vibrate/palpitate and move on their own. the skin cells don't.

the heart cells move around until they bump in to either each other, or the skin cells... then they bind together. but they don't reproduce, multiply, etc. they just kind of bump in to each other until they are a clump of cells. and they aren't developing any further. they're now just a group of cells stuck together.

he explained that they aren't sure if the movement to a clump is voluntary, or a function of the heart cells moving until they simply bump in to the other cells. 

one thing they haven't been able to sort out yet is why some of the cells grow cilia. they haven't spent much time, yet, exploring it.

 

[dkp993]

As we are all just code in a simulation we are the robots.  

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

As we are all just code in a simulation we are the robots.  

This is a rabbit hole that’s terrifying to go down. One can lose their sanity. I guess that’s why everyone in Alice’s Wonderland is insane.