October 16, 2024
Scientists at Cornell University, USA, have created biohybrid robots that can be controlled by electrical signals from the mycelia of mushrooms. Scientists developed a robot with wheels and a robot with legs that make use of the king oyster mushroom’s mycelia to move. Mycelia are structures of a mushroom that look similar to threads and are sensitive to light. These mycelia generate electric signals in response to light and other changes in the environment. Scientists used this property of mycelia and exposed them to different intensities of ultraviolet light to make the robot operate. Thus, the mycelia operate similarly to a human brain, allowing the robot to move and perform different functions.
DID YOU KNOW
Mushrooms are the reproductive parts of some types of fungi.
Image Source: cornell.edu
