... have memories and could be used to clean up microplastics or detect diseases

• The work builds on previous living robots designed last year called Xenobots
• The latest innovation includes a number of upgrades like 'legs' to move
• The robots were made from frog embryo stem cells that were then programmed
• The cell-bots also have memories to recall different events it encounters
• These include pollutants in the ocean or diseases in the body
• It then reports back to researchers who can further analyze the incident 

A microscopic 'living robot' made from frog embryo stem cells have been designed with self-healing powers and the ability to keep memories.

The innovation pulls from previous work released last year, called Xenobots, but has been upgraded to move more efficiently and perform more complex tasks.

Dubbed Xenobots 2.0, the machines are able to self-propel using hair-like 'legs' of cilia, while its predecessor relied on a muscle to move, allowing it to travel faster along surfaces.

However, the greatest advancement is the ability to recall things such as radioactive contamination, chemical pollutants or a disease condition in the body that can be reported back to researchers for further analyses.