You have no doubt heard of cybernetics, or the combination of robotics and digital systems with living things. However, you have probably never heard of shroom-botics.
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00:00You've no doubt heard of cybernetics, or the combination of robotics and digital systems
00:09with living things.
00:10However, you've probably never heard of shroombotics.
00:13A team of robotics researchers recently took it upon themselves to mix mushrooms and technology,
00:18and the result is pretty wild.
00:21Mushrooms are known to exhibit electrochemical signals, so the investigators wondered what
00:24would happen if they gave a king oyster mushroom the controls to a robot.
00:28And this is what happened.
00:30The robot moved and was able to sense and respond to the environment.
00:33The researchers say they cultured and grew the mycelium directly into the electronics
00:37of the robot, producing a biohybrid machine.
00:40What's more, they were able to override the natural impulses of the mushroom, meaning
00:44this type of system could be harnessed for other purposes by humans.
00:47Though they added that wasn't the only goal of this experiment, explaining,
00:50It was also about creating a true connection with the living system, because once you hear
00:54the signal, you also understand what's going on.
00:58The researchers say this could allow humans to better connect with the natural world,
01:02allowing us to understand through visual robotic systems what a plant or mushroom is experiencing.