00:03you've no doubt heard of cybernetics or the combination of robotics and digital systems
00:08with living things however you've probably never heard of shroom botics a team of robotics
00:14researchers recently took it upon themselves to mix mushrooms and technology and the result
00:19is pretty wild mushrooms are known to exhibit electrochemical signals so the investigators
00:24wondered what would happen if they gave a king oyster mushroom the controls to a robot and this
00:29is what happened the robot moved and was able to sense and respond to the environment the
00:34researchers say they cultured and grew the mycelium directly into the electronics of the robot
00:38producing a bio-hybrid machine what's more they were able to override the natural impulses of the
00:43mushroom meaning this type of system could be harnessed for other purposes by humans though
00:47they added that wasn't the only goal of this experiment explaining it was also about creating
00:52a true connection with the living system because once you hear the signal you also understand what's
00:57going on the researchers say this could allow humans to better connect with the natural world
01:01allowing us to understand through visual robotic systems what a plant or mushroom is experiencing
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