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It's xeno because its biology is synthetic, alien to "natural" biology, and -bot because the structure is synthetic, like any other robot. It's interesting rese
by robbedpeter 5y ago
It's xeno because its biology is synthetic, alien to "natural" biology, and -bot because the structure is synthetic, like any other robot. It's interesting research, but seems a little haphazard to me.
"What if we make a Pacman shape out of frog cells" doesn't seem like it's leading anywhere profound.
I wonder if they could impose arbitrary logic, and implement something like Conway's game of life? Seems like you'd need a predictable algorithmic framework in order to achieve anything useful with it.
- sxyuan 5y agoXeno comes from Xenopus laevis, a species of frog. It's a commonly used model organism and I believe often the source of the cells used in xenobots.
- cwkoss 5y agoAh, that significantly reduces my distaste.
- Teever 5y agoFreeform tissue engineering doesn't seem like it's leading anywhere profound? Imagine using autologous xenobots (homobots?) as a drug delivery mechanism for humans. > I wonder if they could impose arbitrary logic, and implement something like Conway's game of life? Seems like you'd need a predictable algorithmic framework in order to achieve anything useful with it. Exactly. When I look at these xenobots I see a prototype for programmable matter. Imagine using these kinds of things to run programs where the output of the programs isn't shifting bits in a CPU but shifting molecules in a substrate. You could use these for autonomous manufacturing from the microscale and up.
- ronyclau 5y agoLet's hope we can someday program it to find the answer to life, the universe and everything, and subsequently the ultimate question, just so we can render all philosophers jobless.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]