A robot controlled by human brain cells could soon be trundling around a British lab, 快猫短视频 has learned.
and at the University of Reading, UK, have already used rat brain cells to control a simple wheeled robot.
Some 300,000 rat neurons grown in a nutrient broth and producing spikes of electrical activity were connected to the output of the robot鈥檚 distance sensors. The neurons proved capable of steering the robot around a small enclosure (see video).
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Disease insights
The team say that observing how their neuron culture responds to stimulation could improve our understanding of neurological conditions such as epilepsy. For instance, the way large numbers of neurons sometimes spike in unison 鈥� a phenomenon known as 鈥渂ursting鈥� 鈥� may be similar to what happens during an epileptic seizure. If that behaviour can be altered by changing the culture chemically, electrically or physically, it might hint at potential therapies.
To make the system a better model of human disease, a culture of human neurons will be connected to the robot once the current work with rat cells is completed. This will be the first instance of human cells being used to control a robot.
One aim is to investigate any differences in the behaviour of robots controlled by rat and human neurons. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be trying to find out if the learning aspects and memory appear to be similar,鈥� says Warwick.
Warwick and colleagues can proceed as soon as they are ready, as they won鈥檛 need specific ethical approval to use a human neuron cell line. That鈥檚 because the cultures are available to buy and 鈥渢he ethical side of sourcing is done by the company from whom they are purchased鈥�, Whalley says.
