Breakthrough in teaching brain cells
Biotech firm Cortical Labs has made notable strides in teaching human brain cells—cultivated on its CL1 chip—to play video games. According to a report released at 9:00 PM on June 2, each biocomputer houses roughly 200,000 living neurons, grown from stem cells derived from donated blood. After successfully training the cells to play Pong, researchers moved on to the more challenging title Doom, converting the game's digital environment into electrical signals.
While gameplay results are still far from perfect, experts see significant promise in this technology. The cells have a lifespan of about six months, and the human brain operates on roughly 20 watts of power. Potential applications for the CL1 chip include:
- drug testing
- machine learning
- robotics
- disease modeling
- personalized medicine
As William Keating noted, 'the industry needs more efficient ways to manage energy consumption and improve performance.'
Researchers at Cortical Labs emphasize that their technology has already been used for 'robotics, real-time learning tasks, medicine, and drug development,' according to Brett Kagan. However, as Alon Loeffler put it, 'at first, the neurons behaved like someone who had never played a video game.' This highlights that much work remains, but the achievements already demonstrate 'real progress' in the field. William Keating added, stressing that 'this is not science fiction or a scam—it's real science.'
The future of biological computers
Ultimately, the technology developed by Cortical Labs opens new horizons for using biological computers to tackle complex challenges in medicine and other domains. It could fundamentally reshape approaches to data processing and artificial intelligence development, particularly in aligning technology with biological processes and needs. Interest in such innovations continues to grow, as their potential could drive major shifts in scientific research and practical applications in the years ahead.
As researchers explore the capabilities of biological computers, recent advancements in a different area have shown promise as well. German scientists have successfully frozen and revived brain tissue, which could complement the ongoing developments in utilizing human neurons for complex tasks. These breakthroughs highlight the potential for innovative approaches in neuroscience and technology, paving the way for future applications.