Innovating Works

BABOTS

Financiado
BABOTS: The design and control of small swarming biological animal robots
We aim to establish a fundamentally new technology of Biological Animal roBots (BABots), consisting of small animals with a genetically modified nervous system, enabling the execution of a desired repertoire of behaviors beyond th... We aim to establish a fundamentally new technology of Biological Animal roBots (BABots), consisting of small animals with a genetically modified nervous system, enabling the execution of a desired repertoire of behaviors beyond their natural abilities. We will implement the first BABot system in C. elegans, a 1 mm long nematode worm. These worms will be programmed to act as a collective, and to detect, locate and attack invading pathogens in an agricultural setting. Being 100% biological, BABots are highly compatible with the natural environment, self-producible, and fully degradable. They will also be agile and highly sensitive to surrounding signals. To control BABot behavior, we will genetically insert specific new synaptic connections and synthetic gene circuits in C. elegans to produce artificial aggregation, dynamic sensorimotor switching and other functional building blocks. To ensure a safe and controlled deployment, we will genetically implement a multi-layered biocontainment apparatus. To gain tighter control over the BABot collective behavior, we will exploit heterogeneity in the population, blending, for example, leader and follower BABots, based on their differential access to information. The science behind this innovative technology includes a synthetic neurobiological approach to modifying individual worm behavior, the study of collective behavior in engineered worms, and the development of a theory of heterogeneity-based swarm control. We also dedicate a substantial effort to establish a firm and effective safety, ethical and regulatory framework, under which current and future BABots can be developed. This project will generate a radically new approach to bio-robotics that could contribute to precision agriculture, industry and medicine. Improving over a previous proposal, we significantly enhanced (i) the methodology, (ii) the safety and ethical aspects, and (iii) the demonstration and exploitation by implementation in an agricultural setting. ver más
30/09/2027
UNamur
3M€
Duración del proyecto: 57 meses Fecha Inicio: 2022-12-13
Fecha Fin: 2027-09-30

Línea de financiación: concedida

El organismo HORIZON EUROPE notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2022-12-13
Línea de financiación objetivo El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDEROPEN-01-01: EIC Pathfinder Open 2022
Cerrada hace 2 años
Presupuesto El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a 3M€
Líder del proyecto
UNIVERSITE DE NAMUR ASBL No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico TRL 4-5