A team of researchers from Tianjin University and the Southern University of Science and Technology has introduced a new robot whose controller comes in the form of a lab-grown brain, a marriage that could finally bridge biology and technology. The innovation takes the concept of brain-computer interfaces to an entirely new level, marrying human brain cells with neural interface chips to make a hybrid “organoid” robot.
At the core of this technology is growing brain organoids in vitro, followed by integrating electrode chips for the integrated interaction with external information. Stem cell technology-cultivated brain organoids imitate the process of human brain development and function. These can process and respond to electrical signals.
“The brain-computer interface on a chip is a technology that uses an in vitro cultured ‘brain’ coupled with an electrode chip to achieve information interaction with the outside world through encoding and decoding and stimulation-feedback,” said Ming Dong, vice president of Tianjin University.
The researchers have been able to prove that the brain-on-chip systems are capable of instructing robots on how to perform complicated tasks, including obstacle avoidance, tracking, and grasping. The chip supplies electrical signals interpreted by the brain about the world, hence allowing it to learn and adapt to its environment.
This project enlists the help of ball-shaped organoids grown under low-intensity focused ultrasound stimulation, and the method is called MetaBOC (brain-on-chip). It enhances the complexity of the neural network and thus gives a more solid base to intelligent functions. Artificial intelligence algorithms are also used to extend the capabilities of the mini-brain.
While brain-computer interfaces are not a new idea, how the Chinese used lab-grown brain tissue in conjunction with robotic systems certainly is. Earlier research, such as the DishBrain project at Monash University, has established that biocomputers enhanced with human neurons can learn tasks at fantastically fast and efficient rates. However, the Chinese researchers’ use of three-dimensional organoids together with AI algorithms sets this work apart from earlier versions.
Even after this astounding development, the technology remains in the infant stage. The brain tissue used inside the robot’s helmet is a dummy and sits elsewhere to be tested. Moreover, keeping the “wetware” portions alive is challenging since it requires that the tissues be supplied with nutrients, their temperature regulated, and shielded from pathogens.
The potential that such technology holds is not limited to robotics. Brain organoid transplants can provide new treatment opportunities in cases of neurodevelopmental disorders and damage to the brain.
We are on the threshold of a new era in biocomputing, and with this come thick ethical considerations. The potential for these systems to become conscious raises imperative questions of morality regarding the testing and utilization of such technologies. According to Brett Kagan at Cortical Labs, “If these systems do develop consciousness, then you need to decide, well, is it actually ethically right to test with them or not?”
It cements the runaway quotient of science and technology, pushing human understanding and abilities further and further. More and more, speeding toward the singularity, the intersection of biological and computerized intelligence will shift our world in ways that, just now, we have bare glimpses of.
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