Beam Me up blog is the sister/support site For the Beam Me Up podcast. It contains links, discussion and material that might be or have been discussed on the show. Also links to new show listings and material. Be sure to check out the live stream every Saturday at 4pm eastern at http://www.wrfr.org/links.html and select stream
Ready for this? This isn't spooky science done at a distance, it's in your face research. I was going through Suicide Bots blog and came upon this piece of strangeness:
Oh yes me hearties, here is an in depth discussion of growing rat neurons, installing them on an electrode grid, connecting said grid to a robot's control and decision making center and turning it on. Want more? How bout a film of the damn thing bumping it's way around a room? Yep, check out the video. The talk is good, the ideals, laudable.....but in the end, you have a sliver of live brain inside a robot that perambulates at will.... It's fascinating and repelling at the same time.
I think you encapsulate my sentiment precisely Dave. I can see the value of the research, however placing the neurons on an electrode mesh in my mind serves only to assuage ghoulish curiosity. In the overall scheme of things, a biological control system for a robot is a dead end. It's no where near as robust as electronics and the support system adds undue complexity that far outweighs any benefits. Is it possible? Certainly, but it's as practical as a jet engine in a VW.
2 comments:
This is too disturbing. It's only the tiniest first step, but if you want the "skiffy" nightmare of sentient robots, this is the path to follow.
I think you encapsulate my sentiment precisely Dave. I can see the value of the research, however placing the neurons on an electrode mesh in my mind serves only to assuage ghoulish curiosity. In the overall scheme of things, a biological control system for a robot is a dead end. It's no where near as robust as electronics and the support system adds undue complexity that far outweighs any benefits. Is it possible? Certainly, but it's as practical as a jet engine in a VW.
Post a Comment