Biohybrid Robotics as a Fragmented Frontier of Biopolitics

Humans and non-humans have always been inherently intertwined. As the image of humans changes, the configurations of non-humans—viruses, bacteria, plants, animals, and entire ecologies—also shift. Emergent technologies, ranging from nanotechnology and 3D printing to cancer vaccines and gene therapy, produce a multitude of non-human entities, reshaping the risks and possibilities of biopolitics at various levels. In this paper, we will explore one of the most cutting-edge technologies, biohybrid robotics, through the lens of biopolitics. Biohybrid research is a new paradigm in robotics that explores the integration of biological entities with artificial materials, aiming to enhance performance or achieve unique features beyond the capabilities of traditional materials. It emerged at the intersection of bioengineering, materials science, and robotics, with a primary focus on developing working models of robots that combine living tissue and synthetic components. Some of the most renowned hybrids include an artificial stingray, a jellyfish, and xenobots derived from the cells of the African clawed frog. Over the past few years, experts have proposed several classification systems for such hybrids based on the model's scale (nano, micro, or macro), the type of tissue used (cardiac, skeletal, or even artificial muscle), different designs of actuators, and forms of control. Despite the bewildering variety of models, biohybrid robots are very fragile and dependent on the supporting efforts of scientists and laboratory personnel. Most biobots live for a maximum of a few days and can only develop in a special liquid nutrient medium; currently, even the most durable models are not ready to operate in the natural environment. The fragility and isolation of robots are associated with the state of biohybrid research itself: the field is in the process of differentiating from established disciplines, and various centres still do not have uniform terminology, standards, and metrics. We propose the concept of a 'fragmentary frontier' to characterize biohybrid robotics in relation to technoscience. Biohybrid research does not directly challenge the notion of 'life'; rather, it creates isolated, monofunctional, weakened forms to answer very specific questions from robotics, materials science, and biomedicine. This paper will analyze several models of biohybrid robots to demonstrate how recent developments in biohybrid robotics are related to the evolving agenda of studies in biopolitics.