Bio-robot AROMA: how scientific creativity and interdisciplinary can lead to a smart invention

During summer 2018, "Team ETH" created AROMA, the Autonomous Robot for Odorant Measurement in Air. The key objectives were to create a flexible and fast biosensor based on living cells that does not rely on slow gene transcription-based networks, and to develop an interface that connects this biosensor with the electronic devices. This novel approach harnesses the power of bacterial biosensors, which have evolved to sense many different types of molecules. In fact, their use in robotics shows great potential for various new applications. In the future, robots like AROMA can be used to track sources of volatile molecules like landmines, gas or oil leaks just to name a few applications.

The robotic platform of AROMA includes a phase contrast microscope allowing on-board single cell measurements together with syringe pumps connected to a microfluidic chip and a bubbling device, all designed from scratch by the students. In order to enable other students to copy the construction, all 3D blueprints for the respective instruments are available for free on the respective AROMA-website, including detailed descriptions of the hardware. For AROMA to operate autonomously, the students used image processing and algorithms for source localization together with a software that controls the vehicle and instrumentation, which can all be run on the robot's on-board computer.

No doubt, a robot using living cells for bio-sensing is anticipated to have a social and environmental impact. Before going public, the students of "Team ETH" organized information events in the city of Basel and talked to Greenpeace representatives to better understand the public perception on genetically modified organisms. Based on the insights the team had gained, the students then started refining the robotic prototype to ensure bio-containment of the engineered bacteria.

When "Team ETH" presented its project at the annual iGEM competition in Boston, AROMA received outstanding feedback and was nominated for several prizes including "Best Hardware", "Best New Application", "Best Product Design" and "Best Presentation". The jury consisting of six independent judges from various research disciplines called the whole project and its presentation "excellent" and were "impressed that a fully functional prototype had been put together". Most importantly, however, and for the first time ever, the students brought back home to Switzerland the iGEMer's Prize, which is awarded by the community.

Being one of the students involved in the engineering of AROMA's fast biosensors, I must say that the iGEM experience was overwhelming. Participating in this prestigious international competition meant an incredible and demanding summer for me. The project kicked off in April 2018 with an intensive brainstorming session, the experimental and engineering part in the lab began in July. From then onwards, work was intensifying from day to day until we presented the bio-smelling robot in Boston. From the beginning, we held full ownership of this project. Our supervisors and advisors were always there to help us. But they never tried to interfere with the directions we had chosen for AROMA. I particularly enjoyed this scientific freedom which was given to us throughout the summer and certainly improved my skills in project-planning and self-organization. Another lesson I learned from advancing this project is how much more you can achieve when working in an interdisciplinary team: a team consisting only of biotechnology or biology students would have never been able to create the AROMA technology and to build a functioning prototype in such a short time. Overall, my iGEM summer was a great and intensive experience and I can only recommend every student interested in synthetic biology to participate in the competition and to live out one's 'scientific creativity'.