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reasonablymad
Joined: 03 Apr 2007
Posts: 6784
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 Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:35 pm Post subject: in the world of science xxxxi |
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robot has rat brain
Scientists have created a robot controlled by a biological brain made of rat neurons...
| Quote: | The robot, named Gordon, is not exactly an Einstein but represents a remarkable bridging of the gap between biology and technology. Gordon relies a dish with about 60 electrodes to pick up electrical signals generated by the brain cells.
The brain drives the robot's movements.
Every time the robot nears an object, signals are directed to stimulate the brain by means of the electrodes, the researchers explained in a statement released today by the University of Reading in England. In response, the brain's output drives the robot's wheels left and right, so that it moves around in an attempt to avoid hitting objects.
The robot has no additional control from a human or a computer, the scientists state. Its sole means of control is from its own brain.
"This new research is tremendously exciting as firstly the biological brain controls its own moving robot body, and secondly it will enable us to investigate how the brain learns and memorizes its experiences," said the university's Kevin Warwick of the School of Systems Engineering. "This research will move our understanding forward of how brains work, and could have a profound effect on many areas of science and medicine."
The researchers aim to get the robot to learn, by applying different signals as it moves into predefined positions. That might allow them to witness how memories manifest themselves in the brain when the robot revisits familiar territory. They hope the work will eventually lead to a better understanding of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke and brain injuries.
"One of the fundamental questions that scientists are facing today is how we link the activity of individual neurons with the complex behaviors that we see in whole organisms," said Ben Whalley, a pharmacist at the university and member of the team that built Gordon. "This project gives us a really unique opportunity to look at something which may exhibit complex behaviors, but still remain closely tied to the activity of individual neurons. Hopefully we can use that to go some of the way to answer some of these very fundamental questions. "
The project was funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. |
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DeD CHiKn
Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Posts: 9627
Location: Baltimore, Maryla*gunshot*
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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And we take a closer step to me being crushed in the cold unfeeling arms of a sentient robot.
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Sam
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| yes. yes. add a biological component. what a brilliant idea. now judgment day will be wrought by the organic flesh-zerg skynet as opposed to just unfeeling metal. |
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CTrees
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
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Mr. Meddler
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: On the sunny side of the street
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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Okay, this trumps my thread... 
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mouse
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 14855
Location: under the bed
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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i view them as an important synchrony. your thread will make me a cloak of invisibility to hide from the robots in this thread.
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Darqcyde
Joined: 11 Jul 2006
Posts: 8366
Location: A false vacuum abiding in ignorance.
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| Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 12:08 am Post subject: |
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| CTrees wrote: | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-0eZytv6Qk
^^^The video ^^^
EDIT: Particularly horrible thought--this could soon be a reality:
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More importantly and sadly more probably these could be a reality:
| Quote: | | The pilots within Dreadnoughts are Marines who have suffered mortal wounds in battle, maimed and crippled beyond recovery - instead of being mercifully killed, the greatest heroes are instead given what is considered an honor of continuing to serve the Emperor past their normal life. Once interred within the Dreadnought, the Marine cannot leave the metal womb and is destined for a life of endless battle until destroyed. Some are so ancient their memories may extend back to the founding of their chapter and its earliest history. For this reason they are revered not just as powerful warriors but also as ageless forebears and living embodiments of battles fought long ago. If a dreadnought is destroyed, the Space Marines will fight to retrieve the armoured shell so that the occupant can be returned to the chapter's mausoleum for the long deserved final rest. |
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DeD CHiKn
Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Posts: 9627
Location: Baltimore, Maryla*gunshot*
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| Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:58 am Post subject: |
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Mother of God...
Darq you just completely turned my view on this around.
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Yorick
Joined: 11 Jul 2006
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Location: A false vacation abdicating in Ohio City
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| Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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Daleks!
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CTrees
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 3493
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| Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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OMG! This is all a conspiracy by the stair-building industry! Organic brain controlled robots lead to the creation of Daleks, which leads to a huge increase in the number of stairs that need to be built to defeat them. They tried once already with the similarly susceptible Segway. We must stop the evil corporate stair-moguls now, before it's too late! |
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Sam
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Wow which came first, dreadnoughts or dragoons? |
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Major Tom
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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dammit, i feel sorry for the rat.
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Darqcyde
Joined: 11 Jul 2006
Posts: 8366
Location: A false vacuum abiding in ignorance.
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| Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Major Tom wrote: | | dammit, i feel sorry for the rat. |
yeah, that's before it takes over the world. Also, was it a rat's brain or rat brain cells cultured?
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...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.
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Arc Tempest
Joined: 28 Jan 2007
Posts: 4447
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Sam wrote: | | Wow which came first, dreadnoughts or dragoons? |
Assuming you mean the Dragoons from Starcraft probably the Dreadnought (since 40k had a decade's headstart).
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DeD CHiKn
Joined: 04 Aug 2006
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Location: Baltimore, Maryla*gunshot*
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