Throwforward Thursday 56: Xenobots - Living Robots

Made from the stem cells of the African Claw Frog, xenobots were created at the University of Vermont in 2020. They're tiny organisms that have been DNA programmed to do specific tasks. By the 2040s we should be able to program xenobots to do very useful, very specific tasks for us, from collecting radioactive materials to breaking down plastic pollution. They could even be used in our own bodies to destroy cancer cells or clean cholesterol plaque from our arteries.

Links for further research and reading:

• Original announcement video, Jan 2020: https://youtu.be/aQRBCCjaYGE

• Original announcement from University of Vermont, Jan 2020: https://www.uvm.edu/news/story/team-builds-first-living-robots

• Wikipedia entry on Xenobots: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenobot

• Xenobots can replicate, Nov 2021: https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/team-builds-first-living-robots-that-can-reproduce/

• Smithsonian review: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-unveiled-the-worlds-first-living-robots-last-year-now-they-can-now-reproduce-180979150/

• Updated video, Dec 2021: https://youtu.be/Btv3MMtTG6U