Scientists invent ‘Brainoware’ computer that uses human neurons and tech hardware – as they move one step closer to merging man and machine

Scientists invent ‘Brainoware’ computer that uses human neurons and tech hardware – as they move one step closer to merging man and machine

PETER HESS FROM DAILYMAIL

Scientists have unveiled a hybrid computer made of electronics and human brain-like tissues called ‘Brainoware.’ It’s part of a growing field called biological computing.

The new technology features a brain ‘organoid’ made of human stem cells which sit atop a circuit board that feeds the organoid information and reads its responses.

This biological-electronic hybrid was able to identify people’s by voice and make predictions about a complex math problem.

The researchers claim the discovery represents a significant step toward hybrid computers, which merge man and machine to perform complex computing problems using a fraction of the power needed by conventional computers.

It can also support artificial intelligence by making it possible for computers to mimic the human brain, said the scientists behind Brainoware. 

The human brain is a natural computer, evolved over millions of years. And even as electronic computers become more sophisticated and powerful, the brain still outshines their efficiency when it comes to power requirements, wrote the team behind Brainoware: ‘A human brain typically expends about 20 watts, whereas current AI hardware consumes about 8 million watts to drive a comparative [artificial neural network.’

In the new Brainoware computer, a brain ‘organoid’ made of human stem cells sat atop a circuit board that fed the organoid information and read its responses.

Brainoware is an example of what computer scientists call ‘reservoir computing,’ where a computer feeds information into a complex network – in this case, the brain organoid – and interprets the output.

The idea behind reservoir computing is that the computers feeding information into the brain tissue and reading the output can be trained or adjusted, taking advantage of the organoid’s complexity without requiring a full map or understanding of its cell networks.

In other words, the organoid is a sort of ‘black box,’ and scientists don’t need to know exactly how it works in order to use it. 

The organoid is not part of a living person’s brain, but is grown from so-called pluripotent stem cells, cells that can be coaxed into forming any type of body tissue.

Scientists from the Indiana University Bloomington, the University of Florida, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center used pluripotent stem cells to grow human cortical organoids…

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Scientists invent 'Brainoware' computer that uses human neurons and tech hardware - as they move one step closer to merging man and machine

 

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