A hybrot (short for "hybrid robot") is a

cybernetic Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson ma ...

organism in the form of a

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may ...

controlled by a computer consisting of both electronic and biological elements. The biological elements are typically rat

neuron A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. ...

s connected to a

computer chip An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...

. This

feat Feat or FEAT may refer to: * ''FEAT'' (album), a 2012 The Hood Internet album * Feat (d20 System), concept in role-playing game system d20 * '' Feat (stato di natura)'', a 2020 album by Francesca Michielin * An abbreviation for ''featuring'', us ...

was first accomplished in 2003 by Dr. Steve M. Potter, a professor of

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

at the Georgia Institute of Technology: What separates a hybrot from a

cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

is that the latter term is commonly used to refer to a cybernetically enhanced human or animal; while a hybrot is an entirely new type of creature constructed from organic and artificial materials. It is perhaps helpful to think of the hybrot as "semi-living", a term also used by the hybrot's inventors. Another interesting feature of the hybrot is its longevity. Neurons separated from a living

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a ve ...

usually die after only a couple of months. However, a specially designed incubator built around a gas-tight culture chamber selectively permeable to carbon dioxide, but impermeable to water vapor, reduces the risk of contamination and evaporation, and may extend the life of the hybrot to one to two years.

References

Notes

* * Shkolnik, A. C. Neurally Controlled Simulated Robot: Applying Cultured Neurons to Handle and Approach/Avoidance Task in Real Time, and a Framework for Studying Learning In Vitro. In: Potter, S. M. & Lu, J.: Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science. Emory University, Atlanta (2003). * {{Cite journal , author1=Wagenaar, D. A. , author2=Demarse, T. B. , author3=Taketani, M. , author4=Baudry, M. New York , year = 2006 , title = Closing the Loop: Stimulation Feedback Systems for Embodied MEA Cultures , journal = Advances in Network Electrophysiology Using Multi-Electrode Arrays , pages = 215–242

External links

Georgia Tech Researchers Use Lab Cultures to Control Robotic Device

Georgia Tech researchers use lab cultures to control robotic device

– A hybrot artist.

How to Culture, Record and Stimulate Neuronal Networks on Micro-electrode Arrays (MEAs)
Biocybernetics Cybernetics -

See also

References

Notes

External links