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Not quite the Terminator yet, but the rat-brained robot developed by Reading University is starting to think for itself.

This pint sized robot isn’t controlled by software, but by 300,000 living neurons generously donated by a rat. These Neurons are being taught how to steer the robot avoiding obstacles and walls.

The Scientists from Reading University took the brain stem from a rat foetus and using an enzyme broke the connections between the neurons. New connections between the neurons were grown, and then connected to electrodes to pick up the signals they were communicating.

The robot itself isn’t that remarkable. It “see’s” the environment around itself by the use of sonar and has two wheels to move it around.

The sonar detects the robots immediate environment and sends the data to a small onboard computer. The computer transmits the data via Bluetooth short range radio to the rat neurons located in a temperature controlled cabinet. The “neural network” then returns the commands needed to control the robot the same way.  By the process of trial and error this “neural network” learns the environment and starts to avoid objects and navigate clear of walls. It does this completely by itself. They haven’t been programmed to avoid these things; it’s learnt this behaviour by itself.

The scientists are hoping that by studying the learning abilities of this organically brained robot, they will have a better understanding of how memories are formed in the brain. Using this information they hope to unlock some of the mysteries of those devastating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

I wonder if lieutenant Commander Data started off this way.