Hybrid robot can 'hear' electrical signals using a dead locust's ear in a world's first experiment

A robot has heard sounds through the ear of a dead locust in a world's first experiment that uses the Ear-on-a-Chip method to create a long-lasting sensory device. A team from Tel Aviv University announced their new'Ear-bot' that replaces an electronic microphone in a bio-hybrid robot with the insect's ear, allowing the machine to receive electrical signals from the environment and respond accordingly. The result is extraordinary, according to researchers, as when they clap once, the dead insect's ear hears the sound, the robot interprets the pulse and moves forward. Although the experiment seems bizarre, the team conducted the test to understand how biological systems, specifically sensory ones, can be more integrated into mechanical systems. To create the Ear-on-a-Chip, the team placed the insect's ear and nerve in an aquatic environment that allowed air and sound to flow through.