The computer has just created a living creature that is unmatched in nature, programmable

Scientists first created a living creature designed by artificial intelligence, called Xenobot. According to the researchers, Xenobot is made from frog stem cells and the creature is programmable.

Professor Joshua Bongard of the University of Vermont, who co-authored this project, said that Xenobot is a programmable living creature, completely different from the traditional robots or animals we know.

The computer has just created a living creature that is unmatched in nature, programmable Picture 1 — Xenobot, a living robot with 4 legs. Photo: Douglas Blackiston.

These novel creatures have many applications such as collecting microscopic particles in the ocean, searching for toxic compounds / radioactive contamination . things that machines cannot do.

The computer has just created a living creature that is unmatched in nature, programmable Picture 2 — Green and red cells are active cells (heart), blue cells are passive (skin) cells. Xenobot movement direction can be programmed. Photo: Sam Kriegman, Josh Bongard.

First, the researchers created thousands of viable designs for the creature on the computer. After that, the computer will combine with AI to choose the most optimal design.

The researchers took skin and heart cells from a frog of the species Xenopus laevis, which, after being chopped, grafted them into a design created by a computer. Active cells (heart) combine with passive (skin) cells to form a fusion cell of a certain shape. The fused cell gradually works together to create living organisms that can move and explore their surroundings. This is an unprecedented creature in nature.

Not stopping there, scientists also want to create more complex Xenobot to create a breakthrough in the application of technology. For example, Xenobot with a bag for storage - for example, to put into the human body.

The computer has just created a living creature that is unmatched in nature, programmable Picture 3 — After being damaged, Xenobot can recover by itself. Photo: Sam Kriegman, Josh Bongard.

Depending on the design and purpose of use, Xenobot's lifespan can be short, long or immortal. This strange creature can heal itself when its body is cut in half or biodegraded after death.

Scientists are also worried that if Xenobot becomes complicated enough it will be difficult to control, no one can predict how they will behave, leading to unpredictable consequences.