Lab-grown brain cells played Pong  

Let’s see when they play…DOOM

Researchers from the company Cortical Labs developed the first ” brain with senses ” in the laboratory. In practice we are talking about some brain cells that were grown in the laboratory and learned to play Pong, sensing and responding to their environment.

The term “ brain with senses ” may be a stretch, but the researchers emphasized that “ we cannot find a term that better describes the device. It can take information from an external source, process it and respond in real time .”

The team of researchers grew human brain cells from stem cells, increasing their number to 800,000. By connecting the game with electrodes, they revealed which side the ball was on and how far from the bar. In response, the cells produced electrical activity on their own, while the longer the game continued, the less energy they consumed. But when the ball went over the bar and the game started over with the ball in a random spot, they expended more energy to recalibrate to the new contingency.

When people see web on a tablet, they see whether or not there is activity. But the purpose of brain cells is to process information in real time. Studying their actual function unlocks many more areas of research that can be explored in an understandable way.

These mini-brains will become more complex as the research progresses, but the team of researchers is working with bioethicists to ensure they don’t accidentally create a brain with real emotions and all the ethical questions that would arise from that.

We have to look at this new technology like the computer industry in its early stages. When transistors were huge prototypes with no reliability, but after years of research, they led us to huge technological wonders around the world.

The research was published in Neuron .