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Last year, scientists at Australia’s Monash University developed a new semi-biological processor called DishBrain, which had an important difference: while conventional processors use silicon, DishBrain was equipped with about 800,000 lab-grown human and mouse brain cells that acted as electrodes.
DishBrain’s self-aware processor learned how to play Pong in just five minutes. The microelectrode array in DishBrain could not only read the activity of brain cells, but also stimulate them with an electrical signal.
Members of Monash University designed a new version of the game Pong in which brain cells were fed a moving electrical stimulus so that the cells knew which side of the screen the ball was on and how far it was from the racket. They allowed the brain cells to control the racket and move it left and right.
Small groups of brain cells are constantly trying to minimize the unpredictability of their surroundings. Using this fact, scientists set up a very simple scoring system. If the racket hit the ball, the cells would get a nice, predictable stimulus. Instead, if the racket didn’t hit the ball, the cells were given four seconds of completely unpredictable stimulation.
It was the first time in DishBrain that brain cells grown in the laboratory were used for such a purpose. The cells in DishBrain not only had the ability to perceive the world, but also to influence it. The results of the experiment were impressive.
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