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Rat-Brained Robots Take Their First Steps
missb writes "Brain tissue cultured from rats has controlled a wheeled robot around a lab, according to New Scientist this week. Researchers in the UK have harnessed signals from thousands of disembodied rat neurons, and manipulated them to get a robot to respond to instructions. The team at the University of Reading in the UK hope their research will help provide treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's and epilepsy."
What was the lead researcher's name? Davros?
Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
"The team at the University of Reading in the UK hope their research will help provide treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's and epilepsy."
That outcome is very much exaggerated, apparently to try to get more attention. Any such result would depend on other huge advancements not yet made.
We have had these running around here for years. We just called them MBA's.
What? Is he serious, making a statement like that? Does he think grants grow on trees, that he can so blithely disregard the opportunity for sensationalistic coverage and the resultant exposure to those who issue private grants? Sure, Alzheimer's is mentioned, which is a nice hook, but he needs to make ridiculous claims in order to break through the wall of grant-deniers.
Sheesh. What is the academic world coming to, that they make responsible statements regarding their research?
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
What exactly would robots with rat brains want to do, since they can't do any of their natural biological functions?
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
Will these rat things be programmed never to break the sound barrier in a populated area?
Hugely inflated claims? From Captain Cyborg? To generate press attention?
Film, as they say, at eleven.
Perhaps you could try RTFAing, then applying some logical thought.
They're studying how disassociated nerons make new connections and can be trained to reliably respond to stimuli, and how that response can be used to create predictable behavior.
Now go ahead STFW for the pathophysiology of Alzheimers, and it's pretty easy to see how this could be useful in understanding Alzheimers, and perhaps in (eventually, with a lot of steps inbetween) help either prevent it, delay its onset, or reverse it.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Am I the only one who fails to see how these rodent zombie robots have anything to do with Alzheimer's?
Well I assume it's because having a zombie rat robot come at you is something not even an Alzheimer's sufferer would forget.
The enemies of Democracy are
Conquer the world, of course. This was the first conclusion I came to.
My comments are my own, and do not represent the views of my employer, my spouse, my children, or my cats.
The same thing we do every night, Pinky - try to take over the world.
Just because White Man's Science has yet to be stricken down by the angered Old Gods doesn't mean it won't.
In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
I found this article... then checked Slashdot.
Where have all the intelligent slashdotters gone? Let's all STOP trying to come up with the funniest one-liner and talk about the subject at hand here.
They have taken brain cells and taught them to control a robot. This is simply freakin' astounding!
What else has been done related to this such as MEMS? Anyone?
programming myself into obsolescence
Agreed. Please stop hijacking me!
Don't forget:
Phn'glui M'gl wna'f, Cthulhu R'lyeh Wgha Nagl Ftaghn
just as we cast off our own faith in our gods, cursing them and labeling them as myths, our own creations, built in our own image, will inevitably do the same. The only question is this: will our robots succeed in destroying us, or will we succeed in destroying them?
I don't know if it is a question of destruction or of domination. Will we create a race of AI robots for the sole purpose of enslaving them? If we have the relationship with our robots of Creator/Creation will that make us slave owners once AI achieves sentience? Look at robotic factories, the work long hours for no pay and are modified or replaced or sold at the whim of their owner, if you did that with a person they would be a slave. Of course they are machines not people so it is just a factory not slavery. But if those robots where sentient would it change the moral argument. If that argument concludes that it would in fact be slavery, is there any reason to build AI robots if we cannot treat them as slaves? I don't want to have to allow my Roomba the freedom to go work for someone else, or the right to be paid for it's work.
We are all just people.