Robot may have brain literally

Imagine a future where robots owns an organic brain, and can be controlled through our microbiome.That would be true if the researchers successfully tested them in the real world.

If researchers at the University Institute. Virginia Tech could soon transform the virtual simulation of a robot used to control bacteria in the real world, we may soon see the robots of the future will have an organic brain as children people.

In a study published on Tuesday 16/7 on Scientific Reports , two researchers and Warren Keith C. Heyde Ruder from Department of biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech in the US have described how to use a mathematical model to demonstrate how a microbiome (understood as the entire genomes of microbes living on and in the human body, such as bacteria, bacillus ..) in the experiments of two researchers E. Coli can control a robot.

To do this, Ruder was incubated E. coli bacteria and then use the culture system under limited self-balancing nutrients using micro flow channel technology to measure the response of bacteria inside in the robot system with sensors and simple mobility. All this process will be simulated in a virtual space.

Ruder said: "We think the robot is the host and the bacteria that live on animals like microbiome all that. To create this model, we have created a set of mathematical equations and relationships between the components of the system which we will simulate on the computer ".

Ruder also explained that, in cell culture systems under limited self-balancing nutrients using micro flow channel technology designed to emit a fluorescent light or protein. These signals can be filtered out through the microscope is attached to the system and then will be attached to the robot, which they can move under certain directions.

When the researchers checked the behavior of the robot in the virtual model, they found that the test pattern on the robot works quite effectively. Even the robot was able to send signals back to bacteria as they are receiving orders.

Synthetic biology has developed and blossomed exponentially over the last decade 1. Estimates, synthetic biology market worldwide will reach 10.8 billion worth up to USD in 2016.

Researchers Warren Ruder.

Ruder optimistic to imagine that, in future, the system combines bacterial and robot can be used to explore the interactions between microbes in the soil and livestock activities. He also said that the bacteria can be used to clean up oil spills. Simultaneously, Ruder also acknowledged that the control of bacteria in the wild really is a challenging task and the importance of the field of synthetic biology.

He said that the bacteria could play an important role in solving environmental problems or prevent and protect the phone against other bacteria.

Currently, the team has only created a bacterial system and unique robots. However, the next time Ruder's team is expected to create a virtual environment for many different robot to test the ability of the microbiome conversion How strong will in various cases.