UK researchers give robot a "biological brain"
By Donald Melanson 
posted Aug 13th 2008 4:04PM
posted Aug 13th 2008 4:04PM
It looks like a group of researchers from the University of Reading are making a solid run at the title of mad scientists of the year (in the best sense, of course), with them now boasting that they've developed a robot that's controlled by a "biological brain." That's not quite the sci-fi sight you may be imagining, however (though it's close), with it instead made up of some 300,000 neurons taken from the neural cortex of a rat fetus, which are contained in multi electrode array that packs 60 electrodes to pick up the signals generated by the cells and, in turn, control the robot. According to the researchers, they are particularly interested in using the robot to study how memories are formed in the brain, and how the brain stores specific data, which they hope will lead to a better understanding of Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, stokes, and other brain injuries.
[Via Emerging Tech, New Scientist]
[Via Emerging Tech, New Scientist]
Gah, its Captain Cyborg (Dr K Warick)....for those of you who are not aware of this....interesting gentleman....need to read The Register....bascilly the bloke is a total fruit cake. He inserted a RFID tag under the skin of his arm and then proclaimed he was part man part machine....a cyborg if you will.
I strongly suggest you learn to spell someone's name before you slag them off like that.
- Marty Warwick.
Prof. Kevin Warwick isn't a fruit cake. A bit of a media whore, yes. I study at Reading University, I have lectures from him. He's far from a fruitcake. Incredibly clever man.
I'm having trouble deciding who is more lame:
a) Joel, for being pwned by the subject of the article. That's gotta hurt.
b) Marty, for lurking on engadget, and pwning people who get his name wrong. Marty, what? Are you afraid of being confused with the other mad scientist named Warwick making fetal ratbots? Seriously, most of these commenters work at Blockbuster and live in their parents' basements. Don't you have anything better to do with your time? Perhaps applying for grants from the National Mad Science Foundation?
Hey "m". You are probably more lame. Marty Warwick is not the subject of the article. The person in question is Kevin Warwick.
I guess my post came off more harsh than intended, I wasn't annoyed or anything that he got MY name wrong, it happens all the time. I didn't take it personally (putting my full name after just seemed like a bit of fun haha). It's easy to see how people saying negative things about someone they barely know would seem annoying, but as you said about the status of most commenters, maybe I should keep schtum... my mistake.
On a seperate note, I would LOVE it if there was a National Mad Science Foundation. :)
Kevin a fruitcake? Far from it. I also study at Reading, and he is by far one of the most helpful and and most intelligent lecturers there. He is a bit of a media whore, but in a subject so starved of funds that is really just a commendable point!
He is far more interesting than the stereotypical grumpy professor. Oh and the RFID tag was one of the first experiments, I suggest you actually do some reading on the brain gate nerve interface, which is what made him the "cyborg". The RFID tag was just an implant, the braingate is a bidirectional 100 pin nerve interface chip.
Kill it.
With fire.
Before it kills us.
Well, maybe US researchers could give Bush a biological brain.
Pushing the envelope a bit far, don't you think??
We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your vessels. We will add you biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us.
It' a shame they didn't make it earlier since you have spent such a long time without a brain.
awww, he got one finally. good for him. For the record, you could have asked, "will it blend?" instead of the iphone comment and still reached the same level of douche-a-tude.
But for real now, the article mentions .."Every time the robot nears an object, signals are directed to stimulate the brain by means of the electrodes."
So they shock the cells if they are about to hit something and then hope it will remember to avoid the same obstacle again? Seems a bit contrived unless they blindfold it and send it through the same course.
Ohhh, then spritz a little alcohol on the buggers and see what happens!
cyborg? awsome!
After it becomes self aware and kills us all, Jesus will come down from heaven and realize he's too late.
It's been a good run, guys.
Freedom is the right of all Sentient beings....
the freedom to destroy all humans and encapsulate them in giant towers forcing them to create electricity to produce armies of robot spawn which will take over the universe. All because some people were working for the sake of Oldtimer's research.
"with it instead made up of some 300,000 neurons taken from the neural cortex of a rat fetus" Hide your cheese. Crazy Robot Rat is on the loose !
You know, while I'm supposed to be drawing construction details yet instead browsing engadget, do I really hate these FIRST!!1 posts so much?
yes, the initial r-tard is, well, an r-tard. But then there is always a witty and pointed comment that makes me laugh.
I am still undecided...
I didn't think it would happen, but it has. People bagging on the "first"-ers and down-ranking them has become more annoying and overplayed than people posting "first".
And I, for one, welcome our new rat-fetus brained robot overlords.
And I, for one, laugh every time I read one of these comments.
I know. I know.
one-upped the japanese and their "feeling" robot ...
rat-brained robot+robot hand+cheese in a can=hot date.
Sure this guy isn't named Davros? How long before the little pepper pot starts running around screaming "exterminate! exterminate!"?
Don't forget to add the German Language pack... "Extermineren! Extermineren!" Even though the actual translation should have been "Ausrottung".
Stupid Daleks can't find the Google translator on the web?
...Daleks reign Supreme, my ass...
I thought it was the scarecrow that needed a brain not the tin man? All that research and they put it in the wrong person, when will people learn to read the charts!
Da da-da, da da-da, if I only had a brain.
My first thought was: Gabbo to have "real boy" operation...
http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Krusty_Gets_Cancelled
I bet it's great at mazes.
the wonders of rat fetus..
Wow. How long will it be before Radio Shack starts selling these as kits? What does the 'pin-out' diagram for a rat-foetus brain look like?
(Joking aside, I find this story really quite disturbing....)
So we're developing a robot that really has sh*t for brains. Use a ccelebrity.
I wonder, what did the researchers find about the memory?
Snow Crash, once again.
(The dog brain controlled sentry robots in Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong).
Oh great why dont they just release the Armageddon Bots already! Im locking my door
The perfect decoy for those brain-eating zombies...
Man, there's nothing I fear more than stokes.
Maybe these same scientists can develop some sort of context-sensitive spelling and grammar checking system.
by "scientists," do you mean "editors?"
and by "scientists" i really meant "context-sensitive spelling and grammar checking system."
Gives a whole new meaning to "Pinky and the Brain"
no, not really
and the brain brain brain
Those wheels look like they could be easily replaced by circular saw blades... just saying.
Bah, that's boring. Put the brain in a computer and have it play counter strike! See if it's any good :D
Yes but can it run Crysis?
Cylons incoming!
am i the only one that's freaked out by this? Imagine some mad scientist extracting _your_ brain, putting it in a sugar/oxygen solution and then connecting electrodes to it. You would be awake, and very, very afraid. How many days until you can't take it anymore?
HOPEFULLY your brain would get messed up after a while and you would loose awarness and 'get out' of that mess.
I've had a similar experience, being locked up at a psychiatric institution full of angst and not able to end my life. Add to this some aspberger and the whole thing become more intense. Fortunately the angst was due to a nasty depression + anti-bipolar drug, and depressions usually goes away (by walking).
rat-brained robot+robot hand+cheese in a can=hot date