Scientists from different parts of the world are trying to blur the line between artificial and living organisms in order to ultimately create robots capable of independently producing their own kind. The first step towards this was recently taken by researchers from Cornell University - they created biological material that demonstrates three key properties of living organisms: self-organization, metabolism and development.
The material is based on DNA, which provides the assembly and synthesis of hierarchical materials. The instructions for metabolism and regeneration are encoded directly into the material and, as a consequence, it can crawl forward thanks to the production of a mucus-like substance. The movement takes place in a very obvious way - new filaments of mucus grow up in the front and pull the material forward, while the back ones die off and decompose.
Scientists assure that all processes occurring with the material are autonomous and do not require human intervention. They compare this to the development of the first life from several kinds of molecules - perhaps something similar happens to the material. Although the material is very primitive, it still lays the foundation for the creation of robots similar to living organisms.
In the future, the researchers want the material to learn to avoid or attract various stimuli such as food and light. They also intend to increase the life of the material. All this is quite possible, since researchers are still only at the first stage of creating robots from biomolecules.
Ramis Ganiev
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