Scientists use rat brain to control robot
Publié : 19 août 2008, 04:13
Scientists use rat brain to control robot
Aug 14 2008 By John Von Radowitz
SCIENTISTS have created a robot controlled by a blob of rat brain.
The wheeled machine is wirelessly linked to a pot of 300,000 rat neurons, which send signals to the robot, giving it directions.
The robot has just one means of sensing its surroundings, an ultrasound probe which bounces sound waves off objects.
If the sensor detects a wall in its path, a signal is sent to the brain through Bluetooth. The brain then replies with another message, telling the robot to steer away from the obstacle.
Researchers at the University of Reading are now trying to teach the robot how to navigate and recognise its surroundings.
A similar robot has been built by scientists at Atlanta's Georgia Institute of Technology.
New Scientist magazine reported the American team were training their robot as if it was an animal learning tricks.
The British research is led by Professor Kevin Warwick, who pioneered the merging of biology and robotics by doing bizarre "cyborg" experiments on himself.
One of them involved embedding a microchip into the nerves of his left arm, which allowed him to control an electric wheelchair and artificial hand.
It's hoped the research will give better understanding of conditions such as Alzheimer's and strokes.
http://technology.newscientist.com/arti ... 926696.100
Aug 14 2008 By John Von Radowitz
SCIENTISTS have created a robot controlled by a blob of rat brain.
The wheeled machine is wirelessly linked to a pot of 300,000 rat neurons, which send signals to the robot, giving it directions.
The robot has just one means of sensing its surroundings, an ultrasound probe which bounces sound waves off objects.
If the sensor detects a wall in its path, a signal is sent to the brain through Bluetooth. The brain then replies with another message, telling the robot to steer away from the obstacle.
Researchers at the University of Reading are now trying to teach the robot how to navigate and recognise its surroundings.
A similar robot has been built by scientists at Atlanta's Georgia Institute of Technology.
New Scientist magazine reported the American team were training their robot as if it was an animal learning tricks.
The British research is led by Professor Kevin Warwick, who pioneered the merging of biology and robotics by doing bizarre "cyborg" experiments on himself.
One of them involved embedding a microchip into the nerves of his left arm, which allowed him to control an electric wheelchair and artificial hand.
It's hoped the research will give better understanding of conditions such as Alzheimer's and strokes.
http://technology.newscientist.com/arti ... 926696.100