14 DAY TRIAL // Artificial intelligence has started to leave science-fiction books and has made its way in science laboratories, where different experiments are being tried, some of them quite extraordinary.
At the University of Florida, a team of researchers has recently announced the success of such an experiment.
According to The Telegraph, the team led by Assistant Professor Thomas DeMarse, 37, has succeeded to teach a brain consisting of 25,000 neuronal cells extracted from a single rat embryo how to fly an F-22 jet simulator.
The neuronal cells were placed in a special suspension over an array of 60 electrodes, and everything was hooked up to a computer.
The airplane is equipped with an onboard camera that provides visual information via stimulation into the neural network, feeding it information about the simulator-created horizon.
The neurons analyze and process the data, sending signals back to the plane's control surfaces.
"When we first hooked them up, the plane 'crashed' all the time," Dr DeMarse said. "But over time, the neural network slowly adapts as the brain learns to control the pitch and roll of the aircraft. After a while, it produces a nice straight and level trajectory."
These first results obtained by Dr. DeMarse's team could lead to the implementing of live elements into traditional computers, which would radically change the way in which problems is solved.
In addition, it is hoped that this project will lead to the development of new drugs aimed at treating several mental disorders, such as epilepsy.