Thats the theory behind a recent experiment that saw engineers from Cornell University using mushrooms to control machines.
The Cornell researchers were not trying to inspire some kind ofThe Last of Us-style horror game or TV show.
Instead, they were attempting to examine the potential of using electrical signals generated by fungi to control robots.
When it stands up, this robot is a real fun guy.© Robert Shepherd
So-called biohybrids are a growing object of fascination for engineers.
Past experiments used grown frog muscles to build aswimmingrobot, or earthworm tissue in amicropump.
For example, fungi can be easily cultured, and can survive even in extreme environments.
Associate Professor Robert Shepherd from Cornells Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering led the newpaperpublished inScience Robotics,.
The mycelia generated electrical signals when they were exposed to ultraviolet light.
When the researchers hit the fungi with flashes of the light, they would electrically stimulate the electrodes.
Those, in turn, were used to successfully control the robots legs, making it stand up straight.
The experiment was so successful that the researchers began to envision potential practical applications.
To summarize, dont put in a preorder for a mushroom-powered Roomba just yet.
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