British robot with rat brains

The British once again surprised the world by building a robot that is controlled by tens of thousands of rat brain neurons.



The goal of scientists is to better understand how the living brain learns. The total number of neurons included in the robot is between 50 and 100 thousand. Neurons are derived from rat embryos. The cells were separated using an enzyme solution and planted on a square circuit containing 60 electrodes. Electrodes are used for two-way communication of neural formation and electronic circuit, which, in turn, commands the body of a small robot through a Bluetooth interface.





The system receives signals from the living environment — for example, bumping into the wall, the robot receives feedback, and changes occur in the brain that can be called experiences. Already during the first days after the transplantation, neurons began to send signals to each other. However, in this state, the system without external assistance will die in less than a month. Therefore, scientists use chemicals to enhance or inhibit nerve processes in the "under-brain."

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The video describes some other robots:





Habralyudi, what do you think about the ethics of experiments connecting a living brain to a robot? I specifically ask for 10-20 years before connecting the human brain instead of the rat.



Photo and information about the experiment taken from the membrane: Source