Remember Black Mirrors Metalhead episode where a robot dog shoots the protagonist with trackers in the face? The thought of having unwanted foreign intruders attacking us from inside was absolutely nightmarish. We might have something similar now, as scientists strive to innovate to create new and novel micro-robots every day, but, with scientific and sane intentions.

Now, researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University have created living robots out of actual healthy frog cells that have the potential to navigate through one's bloodstream and scrape out plaque from arteries. These robots, called xenobots, are essentially a bioengineering product made by harvesting skin, pumping heart cells from frogs, and clumping them with stem cells from its embryo. Whats more? They are fully biodegradable and self-healing!

According to a press release, scientists first used a supercomputer to design the new life-form that can move in a direction. After having created a biological model of the supercomputers vision, they assembled the clusters with the beating cardiac cells on one end acting as a pump to propel the clump forward through the water.

Using this technique, the team created a number of the living robots and watched as they were able to successfully push other objects around. The researchers also experimented with creating a pouch inside the new life-forms, allowing them to carry a payload around. Despite of having a very low motility, these robots can perform task that other machines cant do, like searching out nasty compounds or radioactive contamination, gathering microplastic in the oceans and so on. And while they may not be as strong as metals, theyre regenerative.

The notion of having living organisms inside our body, that can possibly be programmed for malicious intent, is nerve-wracking. With xenobots, scientists wish to resolve this fear and work on tackling the unintended consequences. A paper detailing the research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Scientists Turn Frog Cells Into Tiny Living Robots That Can Swim Through Your Body! - Mashable India