Xenobots are biological machines constructed entirely from frog embryo cells, specifically skin and heart muscle cells of Xenopus laevis. They are designed by evolutionary algorithms on supercomputers and then assembled by hand in a petri dish. Because they are driven by the natural contraction of heart cells, they can swim, push microscopic payloads, and heal themselves after being cut.
Heard on the job
The lab is tracking how the xenobot swarm aggregates the loose particles in the dish into a single pile.
Insider tip
Xenobots blur the line between organism and machine. They are completely biodegradable and do not reproduce, making them a safe platform for targeted drug delivery research.