Inspired in part by research in which the mating behavior of fruit flies was manipulated using bacteria, one Virginia Tech scientist has developed a mathematical formula that demonstrates how microbes can be used to create the behavior of robots or other inanimate objects.
Writing in Thursday’s edition of the journal Scientific Reports, Dr. Warren C. Ruder, an assistant professor of biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech, explained that he and his colleagues were attempting to determine from a mathematical model if they could build a living microbiome on a non living host, and then use it to control the movements of that entity.
The research, which also drew inspiration from studies demonstrating that implanting mice with probiotics could lower their stress levels, found that robots could indeed be able to have a working brain made out of bacteria. The discovery could have a broad impact on the field of ecology, biology, and robotics.
For instance, bacteria-robot model systems could enable studies which analyze the interactions between soil bacteria and livestock in the field of agriculture, and in healthcare, they could help scientists better understand the role of bacteria in controlling gut physiology. They could even be used to create microbe-deploying drones capable of executing various tasks.
Bacteria-robot system can make decisions, exhibits predatory behavior
“Recent studies have shown the link between the microbiome and the health and behavior of its animal host. This is true for animals ranging from fruit flies to humans,” Dr. Ruder told redOrbit via email. “We felt that if we could create a mathematical model of a simplified experimental system that connected genetically engineered bacteria to a robot, we could start to explore the minimum required components necessary to connect the microbiome to host behavior.”
The researchers were able to reveal that a bacteria-robot system was capable of unique decision-making behavior by coupling and computationally simulating widely accepted equations describing engineered gene circuits in E. coli, microfluid bioreactors, and robot movement.
The bacteria used in the experiment would turn either green or red based on what the consumed, and in the mathematical model, the theoretical robot was equipped with sensors and a miniature microscope that it used to determine where and how fast to go based on that color. The model also revealed a classic predatory behavior in the bacteria-robot system, as it paused when making its final approach towards more food before quickly striking its prey.
The next goal, Dr. Ruder told redOrbit, is to actually build the system described by the model: “We are going to genetically engineer E. coli to have the biochemical pathways we proposed. We are going to build the microbioreactors, with optical sensors (miniature microscopes) to monitor these bacteria, and we are going to build the mobile robots we described. We’ll then combine each of these built systems to create a robot that can be operated by a bacterial colony.”
He also wanted to emphasize that the bacteria-robot system is “very safe,” as the bacteria strains used in the experiment are “very weak… High school students get to experiment with them across the world. They pose almost no risk because when they get into the environment (or into your body), they get wiped out by robust environmental bacteria.
The robot body would protect them from the harsh environment, but when the robot eventually fails – as all human-built machines do – the bacteria’s potential ability to survive and proliferate without the robot is analogous to a human’s ability to survive in the deep ocean without a submarine.”
(Image credit: Thinkstock)
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