Some very good news: While the interminable, objective-less mundane media wallows in itself, science, genuine interest, and imagination continue to progress. In this case, they also seem to have had quite a lot of fun.
Researchers at Cornell and Florence universities have connected mushrooms to operate vehicles and robots in response to stimuli.
The result was that the mushrooms “subconsciously” drove a little four-wheeled truck and a robot “octopus” uncertainly but effectively. Like most learner drivers, they had to stick to it for a while, but the theory was proven.
Cultured king oyster mushrooms could control the vehicles using electrophysiological activity in their “roots”, aka mycelia. Another way of describing this would be “neural wiring”. Mycelia do look like roots, and function similarly to a point.
There’s a big difference, though. These mycelia are active networks of fibres which the fungus uses to find food electrochemically and navigate in different environments. They can move in three dimensions. Mycelia are also very vigorous, unlike the more sedate roots of plants.
This project is also a very new and intriguing twist to organic robotics. Fungi hadn’t really been considered for robotic adaption previously. Fungal mycelia are super tough. As components in any system, they can even regrow. These mycelia were responding to stimuli like UV light to drive the vehicles. The mushrooms are the fruiting bodies, rather than the whole story of their fungi.
One of the issues for future robotics and artificial intelligence is the creation of efficient, reliable neural networks. These networks need to be durable, and in some ways literally act as nerves and synaptic operators for processing information.
The theory of organic robotics is that organic structures are better than conventional electronics. This idea went from “mad science” to practical science relatively recently, but on a never-before-seen scale. Organic systems research has been relentless in the last few years.
When they discovered that neural tissue could learn to play Pong on its own with the “Dishbrain” project in particular, the neurological writing was on the wall. (The Dishbrain project is particularly important, so bear with me when I say there’s a pretty obvious shortcut for organically controlled systems.)
OK, let’s join just one dot to the others. What if the fungi and Dishbrain team up? A proven learning capacity combined with one of Earth’s all-time toughest survival experts class of organics, the fungi?
It’s not simple science, but it could be a lot of fun, and extremely productive.
Meanwhile, how do people feel about growing their own cars?
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
