Cornell researchers harnessed fungal mycelia’s innate electrical signals as a new way of controlling “biohybrid” robots. “By growing mycelium into the electronics of a robot, we were able to allow the biohybrid machine to sense and respond to the environment,” says Rob Shepherd of Cornell’s Organic Robotics Lab. Using light as an input, the spider bot walked in response to natural spikes in the mycelia’s signal. “It’s about creating a true connection with the living system,” explains lead researcher Anand Mishra.