Update: This is fake, but was based on valid research carried out by an actual scientist, so the idea is still valid, p.s. yes I do feel like an idiot btw.

http://home.actlab.utexas.edu/~dbailey/pressrelease.html

Kind of old so sorry if its been posted before. (search didn't show it, or I didn't search hard enough)

Anyway as you may have guessed some scientists in Texas (where else?) have grown a 'brain'.

The Brain, constructed from dog neurons, was wierd up to quake 3 arena where they set it against a bot. Its progress was charted in video form (available from the link) and shows the 'brain' develop to from simply jumping around randomly to collision detecting and avoidance and engaging in combat.

Ok so while playing a game may not seem that important this does show that an organic 'brain' can be produced and then display learning abilities which has clear importance in robotics (and possibly computing). I must say that the development (which happened in just 9 days) is phenomenal. Granted the combat was against super easy bot, but still considering it is a mass of neurons in a petri dish controling the game then it becomes a lot more impressive. I'm not too sure I want my PC developing emotions on me but this could evenyually power a new bread of robot which will learn and develop over time (gotta keep some sort of control don't want the going all matrix / terminator on us).

This post has been edited by dontmaimyourself: Jun 20 2006, 03:33 PM

That would probably be the end of human society - when we make machines that can think for themselves. Prepare for the matrix!

This post has been edited by Tetraca: Jun 18 2006, 01:37 AM

Perhaps this is the begening of a cloning generation, so the technology generation is over, and the new one takes place. Never thought of that before, what next creating creatures and superman that are more intelligent than ordinary people by hundreds of times and with superhuman abilities? So there will be no more crimes, and stealing etc... And they will be no humanity!!!

Wow that is very interesting. i wonder how they attached the brain to the computer in order to play the game since it doesnt have any appendages and such. This is a huge step though in helping those people who are mentally disabled or mentally ill maybe gain back their lives and be able to continue to be normal. Plus, it will help with education since we might be able to learn lots of things quicker this way.

indeed the end of human society.. imagine it now.. our jobs gone,

Creepy... But a really spiffy idea... Interesting how quickly it developed, but makes you wonder how it works... if it can learn emotions... and how it powers itself... I wonder how they hooked it up...

Can't you tell I'm a nerd...

That is pretty impressive. They wired a brain up to Quake. Too bad I can't see the videos right now. The computer I have won't allow quicktime to download.

Ehm... have you visited the page again?
it says something like:

"This was a silly fake created for a Radio Television Film class. Please do not take it seriously.See the project description page."

Lol i thought it was real when i read the post, and i started being afraid

Well, not 2day, but some day the organics will rule over the machines (a simply brain will assign IPs inside a router??? lol BDHCP: Braincontrolled Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

I hope i will be dead when it happens, dont wanna work on a hardware enterprise that buys dog brains for developing .

Well thats not cool. Don't I feel like a complete idiot right now. Ah well at least we are saved for a little while longer. Well at least the idea for the fake was based on something a real scientist did so the idea of a brain controlling a computer is still valid, they just don't play Quake yet.

This post has been edited by dontmaimyourself: Jun 23 2006, 10:26 PM