Robot powered by biological brain

Scientists at the University of Reading have created a robot that is controlled by a biological brain composed of cultured neurons. Several other institutions have tried to achieve the same feat, but until now it has not been done. The developers are extremely proud of their creation, but the work is far from over.

The technology is going to be used in various studies of the brain. Currently, a project has been created that will study the how the brain stores memories and specific pieces of data. The long-term goal of the project is to learn more about neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and how they occur.

So how exactly does this invention help with those studies? Well, in order to understand that one must learn how the robot and its brain work together. In simple terms, the cultured neurons are placed on a Multi Electrode Array (MEA), which communicates with the robot via bluetooth, sending messages from the brain cells. The MEA consists of approximately 60 electrodes that pick up electrical signals created by the cells. Currently, the "brain" is able to tell the robot when and where to move. When the robot nears an object the electrodes are stimulated and the brain knows that it is near something. The whole process is quite amusing.

The next part of the project (studying memories and data in the brain) will also use the robot as the scientists see how it remembers and reacts to an environment it has previously been in. By seeing the robots reactions and analyzing the brain cells, scientists will be able to get more information on exactly how the brain deals with data. After more on that is learned, the project will continue on to further studies of the brain and all along the robot will likely learn and grow just like us humans. Kind of cool isn't it?