By: Nour Hany
For years, we have been hearing news of growing brain cells in a dish, conducting research on the networks in the neurons, and much more exciting stories! However, it is the first time in human history that we hear about actual brain cells in a petri dish that learned to play a video game, and it is not even the best part; these brain cells were playing faster than AI!
It all started when Cortical Labs, an Australian company in which biological computer chips are being built, thought about teaching a dish of brain cells how to play pong and actually succeeded. The aim of this process is to create hybrid computer chips by grafting organic brain cells onto microelectronic arrays.
While testing the problem-solving skills for these brain cells, scientists found that the popular 1970s video game, Pong, is an amazing learning tool for them. The Australian company added that these cyborg brains think they are actual Pong paddles while playing.
“We often refer to them as living in The Matrix. When they are in the game, they believe they are the paddle.” said Brett Kagan, chief scientific officer at Cortical Labs.
"Electrical pulses from the arrays create virtual game worlds where each mini cyborg brain interprets signals as to where the Pong ball is, then moves the paddles to intercept the ball’s trajectory. According to Cortical Labs, the cyborg brains believe they are literally the Pong paddles while playing." —ForTheWin
The amazing and unbelievable development in research is opening endless doors to creativity in various scientific fields. It is now almost impossible to predict the limits of human intelligence, as it is pretty obvious that there might be no limits at all.
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