A very intriguing article over at NewScientist.com (by Will Knight) describes the work of some UK researchers who have combined a simple slime with a functioning six-legged robot. This seemingly bizarre combination actually presents some interesting possibilities: why spend millions developing control software and AI when you can use simple organisms to help you do the job? Interesting stuff, and good fodder for a few dozen cheap science fiction movies….
Check out the full article (and more photos like this one) over at NewScientist.com here.
Using that kind of materials is a very nice idea. NASA developed some gas sensors that are based on bacterias that emit light in the presence of certain gases. There’s another robot of this kind that’s driven by a cockroach, it’s not really the same, but it’s also an alternative “sensor”.