Are we heading towards a new generation of advanced robots with a real brain? At least that’s what the latest breakthrough by Chinese scientists suggests. Researchers from Tianjin University and the Southern University of Science and Technology have managed to create a robot with a “brain on a chip“, combining an organic brain and a neural interface chip.
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A new advance in direct neural interfaces
The brain, created in the laboratory, was designed from human stem cells (usually recovered from embryos). Thanks to this new technology derived from direct neural interfaces (IND, or BCI for brain-computer interfaces), which encodes and decodes feedback from stimuli, scientists want to teach the robot to perform certain actions, such as avoiding obstacles or grabbing objects.
According to Tianjin University, it is the “world’s first intelligent, open-source complex information interaction system with a brain-on-a-chip.“According to the university, this advance could lead to the development of a hybrid human-robot intelligence. Between this advance and those of Neuralink and its implants in the brain, the next few years are likely to be crucial for this field.
Ultrasound-based breakthrough for brain transplant
The team also reports that the transplantation of human brain organoids into a living brain has progressed. Although this technology is considered the most promising model for restoring functions in damaged brains, it still faces obstacles, including poor developmental maturity and insufficient nutrient supply.
However, thanks to a technique based on the diffusion of low-intensity ultrasound, the grafted elements form a better network with the host brain. This technique could also lead to new treatments to treat neurodevelopmental disorders and repair damage to the cerebral cortex.
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