Scientists Train Human Brain Cells to Play Doom in Lab Experiment
A cluster of living human brain cells is now controlling one of the most famous video games ever made.
Researchers from the Australian biotech company Cortical Labs recently demonstrated a biological computer where about 200,000 lab-grown neurons are used to interact with the classic shooter Doom, according to multiple technology reports.
The demonstration marks a leap from the group’s earlier work showing neurons playing Pong, raising new questions about how biological neural networks can learn tasks normally handled by traditional computer processors.
The system runs on a device called the CL1, a shoebox-sized “biological computer” where living human neurons are grown on a silicon chip and connected to a computer interface.
Game visuals are translated into electrical stimulation patterns that are sent directly to the neurons, while the neurons’ firing patterns are decoded into commands such as moving the character or firing a weapon.
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“This demonstrated adaptive real-time goal-directed learning,” Cortical Labs chief scientist Brett Kagan said in explaining the experiment.
Despite the dramatic concept, researchers acknowledge the system is still primitive compared with a human player, with the neurons learning slowly and struggling with the game’s complex environments.
The broader goal of the project is not gaming but exploring a new form of computing where biological neural networks work alongside silicon chips, potentially enabling highly efficient systems for medical research, neuroscience, and drug testing.
Cortical Labs says the CL1 platform could allow researchers to study how living neurons process information in real time and experiment with biological learning systems that use far less power than conventional AI hardware.
The company is now inviting developers and scientists to experiment with the system as the field of biological computing continues to evolve.
For now, though, the neurons are still learning their way through Doom’s corridors.
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