Researchers Create First "Neurobots" with Functional Nervous Systems

Novel bio-robots exhibit complex behaviors and gene expression profiles after integrating neuronal precursor cells.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 5:08am

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In a groundbreaking study, researchers have developed the first "neurobots" - self-organized living cellular robots with functional nervous systems. By integrating neuronal precursor cells into biobots made from frog embryonic cells, the team was able to observe the spontaneous formation of neuronal networks that reshaped the morphology and behaviors of the neurobots compared to their non-neuronal counterparts. The neurobots displayed more complex movement patterns and gene expression profiles, suggesting the potential development of visual and other sensory capabilities.

Why it matters

The creation of neurobots represents a major advance in the field of biohybrid robotics, conferring these synthetic living systems with unprecedented levels of complexity and autonomy. Understanding how nervous systems can self-organize and integrate within novel biological contexts has broad implications for neuroscience, regenerative medicine, and the engineering of entirely new forms of life with programmable functions.

The details

To construct neurobots, the researchers developed a technique to implant biobots, which are made from undifferentiated frog embryonic skin cells, with neuronal precursor cells during the initial stages of their formation. These implanted cells then spontaneously differentiated into mature neurons with defined cell bodies, axons, and dendrites, connecting to each other and extending processes towards the surface cells of the neurobot. Compared to regular biobots, the neurobots exhibited a more elongated shape, increased motility, and more complex movement patterns. Treating the neurobots with a drug that inhibits neuronal inhibition led to diverse responses, suggesting the neurons were able to modulate the activity of the non-neuronal surface cells.

  • The neurobots were created in the laboratories of the Wyss Institute and Tufts University in 2026.

The players

Michael Levin

A Wyss Institute Associate Faculty member and Tufts University Professor who co-led the development of neurobots.

Haleh Fotowat

The first author of the study and a Senior Scientist at the Wyss Institute who spearheaded the development of neurobots.

Donald Ingber

The Founding Director of the Wyss Institute, who praised the potential of neurobots to defy scientific thinking and open new frontiers in biomedical research.

Xenopus laevis

The frog species whose embryonic skin cells were used to generate the biobots and neurobots.

Wyss Institute

The research institute where the neurobots were developed, led by Donald Ingber.

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What they’re saying

“Such novel beings, exhibiting both new morphology and behavior, despite their wild-type unmodified genome, can reveal important aspects of multicellular plasticity, of relevance to evolutionary biology, bioengineering, and regenerative medicine.”

— Michael Levin, Wyss Institute Associate Faculty member and Tufts University Professor

“Biobots, and now neurobots, are the kind of advances that defy scientific thinking and all previously existing paradigms. They present a new frontier in biomedical research with potential for gaining insights into fundamental biology and developing solutions to problems in medicine that can't even be fathomed yet.”

— Donald Ingber, Wyss Founding Director

What’s next

The researchers plan to further investigate the identities and functions of the neurons that have integrated into the neurobots, as well as assess whether the observed upregulation of visual system genes translates to the development of light-sensing and visually-evoked behaviors.

The takeaway

The creation of neurobots, which spontaneously develop functional nervous systems within a novel biological context, represents a major breakthrough in the field of biohybrid robotics. These synthetic living systems open new avenues for understanding the origins of complex behaviors and sensory capabilities, with potential applications in regenerative medicine and the engineering of programmable biological entities.