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Robot Piloted by a Slime Mold

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the blob-of-borg dept.

TeknoHog writes "Robotics researchers from the UK and Japan have linked up a slime mold to remotely control a six-legged robot. The mold, which is naturally light-sensitive, is able to hide the robot in dark corners, and the scientists expect to further this technology for use in smaller, autonomous units. There is also a preprint of the research paper available from the University of Southampton."

11 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. well, i for one welcome our... by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Funny

    oh, never mind

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:well, i for one welcome our... by Isotopian · · Score: 5, Funny

      What's the fun in doing robot experiments if you don't get to drill into any brains? I'll tell you, no fun at all.

      --

      It's poetry with a beat behind it! And guns! They're like beatniks with automatic weapons.

  2. is there some reason that... by Dance_Dance_Karnov · · Score: 5, Funny

    a photocapacitor or some other light sensitive electronics wouldn't suffice?

    1. Re:is there some reason that... by jheath314 · · Score: 5, Insightful
      IMHO, the whole point was to do it with a biological interface.

      Think about it... a slime mold, while naturally light-avoidant, won't naturally know how to manipulate robotic appendages. Rather than sneering dismissively, you might realize this is a significant step forward to creating hardware and software that can directly interface with your nervous system. Such technology has many awesome as well as frightening implications.

      --
      Procrastination Man strikes again!
  3. Not impressed! by gasmonso · · Score: 5, Funny

    The mold in my shower has been doing this kinda stuff for years!

    http://religiousfreaks.com/
  4. Living brain controls flight simulator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Similar study last year. Experimental "brain" (25,000 living neurons, taken from a rat's brain and cultured inside a glass dish) interacts with an F-22 fighter jet flight simulator through a specially designed multi-electrode array and a desktop computer

    http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/11/02/brain.dish/

  5. In other news... by Txiasaeia · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...attempts to merge a gelatinous cube with a Honda Civic have been less than successful. Kobold scientists blame this frustrating failure on a lower fuel efficiency due to the inefficient wind flow design. "We'd like to take these experiments to the next level," the designers said, "but we just don't have the experience at this time."

    --
    Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
  6. One of a kind.... by aapold · · Score: 5, Funny

    when they finally made that pilot, they threw away the mold.

    whoops.

    --
    "Waste not one watt!" - CZ
  7. It's not just a slime mold.. by kiyuki · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's intelligently designed!

  8. Um... this sounds familiar... but from where?... by ZeusAndHades · · Score: 5, Interesting
    This sounds like something I would find in low level dungeons in Angband...

    You hit the slime mold.
    The slime mold hits you.
    The slime mold's robot hits you.
    You hit the slime mold.
    The slime mold hits you.
    The slime mold's robot hits you.
    You miss the slime mold.
    The slime mold hits you.
    The slime mold's robot hits you.
    You are dead.
    -hit spacebar for high scores-

    --
    -=Zeus=And=Hades=-
  9. Re:Um... this sounds familiar... but from where?.. by maxwell+demon · · Score: 5, Funny

    You see here a robot. t
    What do you want to throw? [adfh or ?*] h
    In which direction? 6
    The slime mold hits the robot.
    The slime mold takes control of the robot!
    The robot hits!

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.