...rat brains:

The robot's biologically-inspired control software uses a functional model of "place cells". These are neurons in an area of the brain called the hippocampus that help real rats to map their environment. They fire when an animal is in a familiar location.

Alfredo Weitzenfeld, a roboticist at the ITAM technical institute in Mexico City, carried out the work by reprogramming an AIBO robot dog, made by Japanese firm Sony, with the rat-inspired control software.

When placed inside a maze, the robot learnt to navigate towards a "reward" in a remarkably similar way to real rodents, using landmarks to explore.

Very interesting, with a lot of implications.

Reminds me of a old Star Trek, where frustrated with his inability to make a satisfactory inteligent computer to take over runing starships, an AI genius scans in his own brain structures and builds the software and circuts to mimic them. Works great until his latent paranoia takes over and the ship (Kirk's Enterprize) starts destroying every ship in sight.

;)

Did think the basic concept of AI copying a working model made sence though.

In related news, IBM and U. of Nevada researchers have simulated half a mouse brain on a supercomputer (at 1/10th real speed). The simulation had 8 million neurons.

(I have to wonder at the fidelity of the simulation at the sub-cellular level, but never mind that,)

I wonder if "place cells" firing at the wrong time cause deja vu.

I enjoyed seeing RATATOUILLE at preview, and this post is strangely relevant!

Maybe this is also relevant to Farfour. Well it would be if he hadn't been martyred.

I enjoyed seeing RATATOUILLE at preview,

Ah, the touching tale of a level 1 critter attempting to skill-up at Cooking. In the sequel, he reaches 225 and has to go to Gadgetzan...

Hi, there!..
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