A robot that is controlled himself with his own brain composed of biological neurons in culture was manufactured by British scientists.The robot works with neurons in rats. University of Reading
This is probably the first hybrid machine / animal ever created. Gordon is “alive” since a big week in a laboratory at the University of Reading, England. His brain is composed of neurons from a fetal rat. They were placed in a solution, separated and then deposited on a bed of sixty electrodes.
This multi-electrode array (MTCT) is the interface between living tissue and machine. It allows the brain to send electrical impulses to lead the wheels, for example. And conversely, it receives information on its environment delivered by sensors.
The key here is to assess the learning capabilities of this robot with a living brain. Gordon already seems to learn by repetition. For example, when it hits a wall, brain stimulation and receives a habit he learned to work around the obstacle. The key to learning is the memory that occurs in neurons that have begun to forge connections and multiply in the brain. Continue reading
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), a team of Hatsopoulos microfluids Laboratory, one led by Anette (known as Peko) Hosoi has taken on the task. Amos Winter, one of the researchers involved, presented the solution to the last congress of the American Physical Society: just imitate the knife. This mollusk bivalve (such as oysters and mussels) lives in the sand and can dip into it at a surprising speed to stay firmly plugged. There are several species, all characterized by a tapered shape, resembling a knife. The MIT researchers were interested in Ensis directus called American knife in France since it shows a marked tendency to invade our shores, to the detriment of local species.