In a surprising new development, Cornell University researchers have built robots that are controlled by something you might find in the forest: mushrooms. Specifically, they used fungal mycelia, the underground network of mushrooms, to help their robots sense and react to their surroundings. This new approach could lead to robots that are better at adapting to their environment compared to robots made entirely from synthetic materials.
The research, led by Anand Mishra from Cornell’s Organic Robotics Lab, was published on August 28 in Science Robotics. The team discovered that the natural electrical signals from mycelia could be used to control robots, allowing them to move and respond to light and other environmental changes.
Rob Shepherd, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell, supervised the project and described it as the first step in using the fungal kingdom to make robots more autonomous. "This paper is the start of many that will use fungi to give robots the ability to sense their environment and make decisions," Shepherd said. He added that future robots could even monitor soil health and decide when to add fertilizer, reducing environmental damage from farming.
Why Use Mushrooms for Robots?
Robots have often been inspired by animals, with engineers designing machines that move like living creatures or even regulate their temperature like humans. Some robots have even included living cells from muscles, but these systems are tricky to keep alive and functioning. This is where fungal mycelia come in.
Mycelia have several advantages. They can grow in difficult conditions and are able to sense and react to things like chemicals, light, and heat. These features make them a great choice for building "biohybrid" robots—robots that combine living materials with synthetic parts.
"If you look at a regular sensor, it usually only has one function. But living systems, like mycelia, can react to touch, light, and even unknown signals," Mishra explained. "This is why we think mycelia could help future robots deal with unexpected environments. They could respond to things we can't predict."
How It Works: Combining Fungi and Robots
Bringing mushrooms and robots together isn't easy. It takes knowledge of many fields, including engineering, electronics, biology, and fungi science. Mishra worked with experts from different areas to make this happen.
Bruce Johnson, an expert in neurobiology, taught him how to record the electrical signals from mycelia. Kathie Hodge, a professor of plant science, helped Mishra grow clean mycelia cultures, which was important because any contamination could interfere with the experiments.
Mishra’s system uses an electrical interface that filters out environmental noise and accurately records the signals from the mycelia in real-time. The system processes these signals and converts them into commands that control the robot’s movements.
Testing the Biohybrid Robots
The research team built two types of biohybrid robots: a soft robot shaped like a spider and a robot with wheels. They ran three tests to see how the robots would behave. In the first test, both robots moved in response to the natural signals coming from the mycelia. In the second test, the researchers exposed the robots to ultraviolet (UV) light, which made them change their movements, showing that the mycelia could sense and react to their environment. In the final test, the researchers manually took control of the robots, overriding the natural mycelial signals.
Mishra pointed out that this research goes beyond just controlling robots. It’s about creating a deeper connection between machines and living systems. "Once you understand the signals, you also start to understand what's happening in the living system," he said. For example, if the signals show stress in the mycelia, the robot can help visualize that stress in a way we can see.
Future Applications
The potential uses for these biohybrid robots are wide-ranging. They could be used in agriculture to monitor soil conditions and reduce the need for harmful fertilizers. They could also play a role in environmental monitoring, helping to detect pollution or other changes in ecosystems. As technology advances, these robots may help create a future where machines work more in tune with the natural world.
The study was supported by organizations like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The research team included experts from various fields, including Jaeseok Kim from the University of Florence, Italy, and Cornell undergraduate Hannah Baghdadi.
With this innovative blend of biology and technology, Cornell researchers are showing that robots can do more than perform tasks—they can also connect with and respond to the living world around them.