There is a lot of fear that robots will replace humans. But maybe it should be the machines that worry about us.
Swedish scientists have created the world’s first “living computer” made from human brain tissue.
It is made up of 16 organoids, or groups of brain cells grown in a laboratory, that send information to each other.
They work much like a traditional computer chip: they send and receive signals through their neurons that act as circuits.
But what makes them special is that the living machine uses less energy because living neurons can use more than a million times less energy than the digital processors currently used.
FinalSpark co-founders Fred Jordan and Martin Kutter (Image from FinalSpark)
Compared to the best computers in the world, such as the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Frontier, scientists found that for the same speed and 1,000 times more memory, the human brain uses 10 to 20 watts, compared to the computer that uses 21 megawatts.
One megawatt is equivalent to one million watts.
The living machine was developed by scientists at FinalSparks, which focuses on creating solutions with biological neural networks.
Dr Fred Jordan, co-CEO of FinalSpark, a startup that focuses on creating solutions with biological neural networks, told DailyMail.com: ‘This The idea is common in science fiction, but there hasn’t been a lot of real research done on it.
Organoids are small, self-organizing three-dimensional tissue cultures made from stem cells.
These cultures can be made to replicate much of the complexity of an organ or to express selected aspects of it, such as producing only certain types of cells.
Scientists take the stem cells and culture them for about a month until they form neuron-like features.
FinalSparks’ mini-brains were built from about 10,000 live neurons, about 0.5 mm in diameter.
‘Organoids’ can store information transferred by electrodes (FinalSpark Photo)
Information is transferred to the “brain” through electrodes (FinalSpark Image)
Organoids are trained with doses of dopamine; When they perform tasks correctly, they receive a stream of the chemical as a reward.
Scientists deliver dopamine by exposing a certain area of the brain organoid to light, similar to how it is released in the human brain when a certain region is activated.
The minibrains are surrounded by eight electrodes that measure activity in the organoids, and researchers can send current through the electrode to influence the neuron.
These electrodes perform the dual function of stimulating the organoids and recording the data they process.
The organoids are also housed in a microfluidic incubator that acts as a mini plumbing system for small amounts of liquids, providing nutrients to the cells and receiving the nutrients needed to keep them alive.
The incubator maintains organoids at body temperature and automates the flow and maintenance of cell media, providing a stable environment free of bacteria and viruses.
The “living computer” cells live and die in 100 days, grouped together in a three-dimensional organoid structure.
But they are similar to the real human brain and have similar electrical activity.
Organoids are trained with doses of dopamine; When they work well, they receive a stream of the chemical as a reward.
‘The neurons in your brain will live about 80 years; You have the same when you die as when you are born. We’re not as good as nature at keeping them alive, that’s why they live 100 days.’
And scientists simply grow new organoids to replace the dead ones.
The team recently launched the brain computer as an online platform that allows global researchers to remotely conduct experiments with biological neurons in vitro.
Three dozen universities have already expressed interest in using the platform.
Jordan described the “living computer” as “wetware” because, like real human brains, it sits somewhere between computer hardware (i.e., the chips that process information) and software (the programs that run. run on the hardware).
“We call it ‘wetware’ (I don’t know who created the word), but the brain is between the software and the hardware,” Jordan said.
‘In computers, there is a clear separation, different software runs on the same hardware.
The ‘organoids’ can be accessed online (FinalSpark Image)
Organoids store information in the form of ‘biobit’ (FinalSpark Image)
«But in our brain, to learn something, the hardware that establishes synaptic connections is physically changed. That’s why we need a new word, and “wetware” makes sense because cells need a wet environment to survive.’
The world is in the midst of an energy crisis due to fuel shortages, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions and the transition to renewable energy.
Not to mention the rise of AI, which is projected to use 29.3 terawatt hours per year – one terawatt equals one trillion watts.
Which are the next steps?
For now, the company’s focus is on cloud computing, particularly energy-intensive data centers that drive AI.
Researchers work with ‘Organoids’ (FinalSpark Image)
Labs and universities around the world are already connecting to FinalSpark to test the hardware.
Later this month, Jordan will visit the first global conference on “biocomputing” taking place in Vienna this month, with visitors from Australia and the United States: “I don’t think the organizers knew how few we are,” he laughed.
He said that since he published his findings, the phone has not stopped ringing: “A lot of people are calling me offering me money,” he said.
Another potential breakthrough is a new understanding of the human brain itself, which may lead to cures for diseases.
The technology for creating organoids is relatively new, and the idea of turning human neurons into a computer has been little researched before.