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Scientists say a new kind of robot can create baby robots. This is science fiction becoming science fact. The scientists are from universities in the USA. In 2020, they created the world's first "living" robots, called "xenobots". They came from the stem cells of an African frog. The xenobots are less than one millimetre wide. They can move, work together in groups and repair themselves. They are not what we imagine robots to be. The scientists say they are technically robots. They are a machine-animal hybrid. They are "an entirely new life-form".
The scientists said the bots reproduce because of their shape. Researchers tested billions of body shapes. The result was a C-shaped robot. The inside of the "C" became the xenobot's mouth. It gathered small cells in its mouth. These cells became a new, "baby" xenobot. The xenobots are very early technology. However, they could change science, medicine, the environment and the way we live. They could repair damage to our organs, attack micro-plastics in our oceans, and clean up oil spills. Despite the benefits, some people are worried about robots that can reproduce.
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