The world’s first “body in a box” biological computer, called the CL1, has been unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The device incorporates human brain cells to send and receive electrical signals, allowing users to deploy and control them for computing tasks.
Lab-grown neurons are used in the CL1, which can survive for up to six months under favorable conditions. This technology is being developed by Cortical Labs, a Melbourne-based company that has gained attention for its previous experiments with brain cells, including one where they learned to play Pong faster than AI.
The CL1’s biological intelligence operating system (biOS) enables users to wrangle the neurons for various computing tasks, potentially giving robotics and AI a serious boost. This technology is more energy efficient compared to traditional computers, but raises important questions about ethics: what are these brain cells experiencing, and is it sentience or suffering?
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/worlds-first-body-box-biological-172828170.html