Why in news
Researchers have discovered that hydrogels, typically non-living materials, can interact with a video game (Pong) and improve their performance over time, demonstrating a form of “memory” and adaptation.
The study involved connecting hydrogels to a virtual game environment where the hydrogel’s paddle and the ball’s position were controlled by electrical signals, allowing the hydrogel to adjust its actions based on game feedback
Hydrogel
A hydrogel is a biphasic material, a mixture of porous, permeable solids and at least 10% by weight or volume of interstitial fluid composed completely or mainly by water.
In hydrogels the porous permeable solid is a water insoluble three dimensional network of natural or synthetic polymers and a fluid, having absorbed a large amount of water or biological fluids.
These properties underpin several applications, especially in the biomedical area.
Hydrogels were introduced for biological use in 1960
It is a “smart” material that can change its structure in response to its environment, such as the local temperature, pH, salt or water concentration
Natural Hydrogels including silk fibroin, hyaluronic acid, alginate, and chitosan are obtained from tissues.
Properties of Hydrogels : biocompatibility, biodegradability, low cytotoxicity, ability to tailor the hydrogel into an injectable gel, and similarity to physiological environments.
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