The Terminator, coming to a reality near you

Researchers at the University of Newcastle in the UK have demonstrated a communication pathway between living cells and electronics. The recipe is based on genetically-engineered protein cells from the ovaries of a Chinese hamster, which produce nitric oxide (NO) when exposed to light. The mutant cells where then coupled to a …

[Thorne]

I for one

Welcome our new Chinese genetically enhanced cyber hamster overlords

[Androgynous Crackwhore]

Re: I for one

Shouldn't that be our new Geordie genetically enhanced cyber Chinese hamster overlords?

Have an upvote anyway... I fear resistance may be futile

[simbr]

So.. what I got from this is that you can genetic engineer a hamster to get an erection when you shine a light on it.

[Androgynous Crackwhore]

Should come in handy in certain rock 'n' roll circles.

[Robert Grant]

Re; simbr

So.. what I got from this is that you can genetic engineer a hamster to get an erection when you shine a light on it.

That's one Top Gear episode to miss.

[LinkOfHyrule]

I have already invented a way to interface hamsters and electronics - stick a small dynamo on its wheel and use it to charge up my phone! I got a grant from David Cameron to do this as part of the government's energy strategy!

[badger31]

overcome a fundamental problem in the creation of “bio-hybrid” robot

Phew! For a while there I thought we'd never have bio-hybrid robots. I'll sleep better tonight.

[Arachnoid]

Hamsters bah.......its Elephant DNA ya need, its so clever it never forgets anything and you can fit four in a mini.

[frank ly]

Oh Dear

"... Oh, and the cells are able to reproduce themselves, ..."

Can anybody guess the consequences?

[Anonymous Coward]

Mashup

....."your mother was a (Chinese) Hamster (Terminator) and your father smelt of elderberries (and had to regularly be exposed to light to get the NOx flowing for his penile recetion deficiency) ..."

oh dear.

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh boy...

Sounds more like Ziggy from Quantum Leap than a Terminator.

[annodomini2]

Chemical response

Probably bit slow for brain to computer interface then.

[Longrod_von_Hugendong]

Re: Chemical response

Given our customers - no, not all.

[Mike Moyle]

Prosthetic limbs?

If this can be engineered so that the existing motor nerves that used to be used to, say, move the fingers in a now-missing hand can operate robotic ones, this could do wonders for prosthetics.I wonder if it can be made to operate in reverse -- making resistance to movement in a prosthetic limb flash a signal to the appropriate sensory nerve for full feedback-controlled prosthetics...

This will be an interesting technology to follow in the next few years.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not necessary for a terminator

The terminator is a robot covered with skin, no interface between the skin and terminator's circuits required. That's actually a much easier problem (for man/machine interface, at least) than making an artificial hand that can be controlled by existing nerves, which this is a step towards.

[boothamshaw]

budget over-run on bionic man project imminent

Initial estimates of $6 000 000 may fall somewhat short of final total, NASA reports today...