Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have successfully created a cyborg moon jellyfish that could revolutionize the way we explore and monitor the ocean.
UC Boulder engineer Nicole Xu, who leads the work, has been able to create steerable, biohybrid moon jellyfish that are fitted with microelectronic “pacemakers” that trigger their natural swim muscles, guiding them toward remote or deep-sea regions that are otherwise costly or impossible to reach.
As a result, these cyborg jellies promise a low-impact platform for sensing temperature, pH, and other environmental data as climate change drives warming and acidification in our oceans.
Moon jellyfish are among Earth’s most energy-efficient swimmers. They have remained unchanged for over 500 million years. Lacking brains, spinal cords or pain receptors, they rely on overlapping nerve nets and gentle pulsing motions to forage on zooplankton and small fish. Moon jellyfish inhabit coastal waters worldwide and can even be found in extreme depths such as the Mariana Trench.
Consequently, this makes them the ideal bio-probe.
Obviously, ethics play a crucial role in these experiments, and Xu monitors stress markers like excess mucus or halted reproduction. So far, none have been reported in her colonies, which are even home to developing polyps.
Commenting on the work, Xu, an assistant professor in UC Boulder’s Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, stated:
“Think of our device like a pacemaker on the heart. We’re stimulating the swim muscle by causing contractions and turning the animals toward a certain direction. There’s really something special about the way moon jellies swim. We want to unlock that to create more energy-efficient, next-generation underwater vehicles.
“It’s our responsibility as researchers to think about these ethical considerations up front. But as far as we can tell, the jellyfish are doing well. They’re thriving.”
