What if Tamagotchi-like toys were really alive? These researchers just made it happen
The Tamagotchi—an egg-shaped handheld game from Japan—taught us kids the dangers of life and the responsibilities that come with raising small creatures. A team of student investigators has given the premise of a video game an unexpected threat by using real viruses to bring a toy to life.
To be clear, squidkid, a prototype toy, has no official ties to Bandai Namco, the owner of the Tamagotchi franchise. But squidkid takes inspiration from a Japanese game, where children raise a small character that can “die” if it doesn’t get proper care.
The stakes are high with squidkid, a real housing bioreactor, real bioluminescent bacteria, young users who can eat it, grow it and keep it. Squidkid, a finalist of the international challenge hosted by Mpumalangaastern University, “encourages curiosity and nurtures the world of edibles,” according to its official introduction.
“Our real goal was to create a bioreactor that would continue, so you will keep the bacterial culture alive for a long time like that,” denidre ni chomaill, a member of the squidAsten project, said squid.
“Kids don’t always take good care of their toys,” added Ni Chonaill. “With [Tamagotchi]there are times when if you ignore them, you die. In this case, you actually kill something. “
Tamagotchi is alive
True to its name, the squidKid is a small device shaped like a squid, with dots that children can blow out to provide oxygen to bacteria. It’s a bagel Allivibrio fischeri– Microorganisms common in marine environments – lives inside the head of a toy squid. Some parts of the device let the kids feed the bacteria and give you the “distraction” needed to keep you alive and glowing, according to the group.
The prototype was inspired by the relationship of the Hawaiian Bobtail squid with bioluminescent bacteria and began as a class project at Northeastern University. A group of student designers, biologists, and an ecotxicologist designed and implemented a resource under the supervision of Katia Zoolotovsky, an expert on beneficial bacteria in the northeast of the University.
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The idea of a toilet “full of germs” may sound dangerous, but the team insists that the bioreactor contains safe microorganisms. In fact, one of the motivations of the project was to invite children to see “bacteria as allies, not care as a form of intelligence and skill, which responds, adapts to life,” said Ni Chonall. “We believe toys can shape that.”
“Squidkid, it’s not just microbiology,” Zolotovsky added. “And to teach children how to take care of the environment and learn biology, mutualism, and environmental interdependence.”
At this time, it is not clear whether squidkid will make it to commercial markets. As someone with a terrible record of keeping Tamagotchi alive, I’m not sure about my chances with squidkid. But if it happens to be found, I will certainly find one – and keep it alive this time – thanks, as the group says, to the role of bacteria in our lives.
