On Nov. 30, 2023, researchers at Tufts University announced they had created tiny biological robots that they call Anthrobots from human tracheal cells that can move across a surface and have been found to encourage the growth of neurons across a region of damage in a lab dish.

The multicellular robots, ranging in size from the width of a human hair to the point of a sharpened pencil, were made to self-assemble and shown to have a remarkable healing effect on other cells. The discovery is a starting point for the researchersﾒ vision to use patient-derived biobots as new therapeutic tools for regeneration, healing, and treatment of disease.