Robot moth grows its own UV sensor using artificial blood
Researchers say growing receptors on site could let robots adapt to unpredictable environments
A moth-shaped robot built by engineers in Estonia and Italy can grow a new UV sensor on its own body, using chemicals carried in its artificial blood. Researchers at the University of Tartu and the Italian Institute of Technology report in the journal Advanced Science that shining ultraviolet light on a patch of the robot's printed wing turns that patch into a conductive material that senses later UV exposure.