Researchers Teach Living Brain Cells to Play Doom in Petri Dish
A biological computer powered by human brain cells just cleared one of tech culture’s most famous benchmarks: running Doom.
Australian biotech startup Cortical Labs revealed a demonstration showing about 200,000 lab-grown human neurons controlling the classic 1993 shooter, according to reports from Tom’s Hardware and other outlets.
The neurons sit on a silicon chip inside a device called the CL1, where they receive electrical signals translated from the game’s visuals and respond with firing patterns that trigger actions like moving or shooting.
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The experiment is the latest step after the company’s earlier DishBrain system learned to play Pong in 2022, proving that neural cultures could respond to feedback and adapt their behavior.
Researchers say the neurons show “adaptive real-time goal-directed learning,” though the system still struggles with complex gameplay and isn’t close to human skill levels.
The project is aimed less at gaming and more at exploring biological computing, a field studying whether living neurons could one day power ultra-efficient computers or help scientists test neurological drugs.
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