Atlanta (July 8,2003)—Working from their university labs in two different corners of the world, U.S. and Australian researchers have created what they call a new class of creative beings, “the semi-living artist” – a picture-drawing robot in Perth, Australia whose movements are controlled by the brain signals of cultured rat cells in Atlanta.

And they make great pets.

Researchers Use Lab Cultures to Create Robotic ‘Semi-Living Artist’