CNN reported on the 2nd (local time) that a research team at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) has published a roadmap for learn how to create a small biocomputer by culturing human neurons or brain cells.

Based on the report, JHU recently introduced ‘Organoid Intelligence (OI),’ the newest field of biocomputing, to Frontier in Science and presented a roadmap to comprehend it.

Organoid intelligence is an emerging field that develops biocomputing using brain-machine interface (BCI) technology and 3D culture of human brain cells.

These organoids share brain structures and functions chargeable for cognitive functions similar to learning and memory. Organoids can act as virtually biological hardware, and may be more efficient than computers running current artificial intelligence (AI) programs.

“OI’s vision is to harness the ability of biological systems to advance the fields of life sciences, bioengineering and computer science,” said Lena Smirnova, researcher at JHU. “Taking a look at it makes me wish to translate and model it to have a system that works faster and more efficiently than current computers.”

For instance, in keeping with the paper, the human brain can store an astounding amount of data. It is claimed that the typical human brain can store about 2500 terabytes of data. Researchers are envisioning complex 3D cellular structures that shall be connected to human AI and machine learning (ML) systems.

“We’re reaching the physical limits of silicon computers because we will not put more transistors on a tiny chip,” said Thomas Harting, a JHU researcher. “However the brain is wired completely otherwise. There are about 100 billion neurons connected through greater than 1015 connection points. In comparison with current technology, that is an enormous power difference.”

Last yr, an Australian start-up succeeded in running a Pong game by connecting a biological computer chip called ‘DishBrain’, which cultivated living neurons in silicon, to a pc. But JHU sees applications far larger than the cell playing video games. Brain organoids can have applications in medicine, similar to exploring neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders between individuals and drug testing studies.

Nevertheless, as with AI, there are ethical issues, and researchers are aware of those issues. To ensure that OI to develop ethically sensitive and socially appropriate, they propose an ’embedded ethics’ approach. It’s an approach through which ethicists, researchers and representative members of the general public discover, discuss and analyze ethical issues and supply feedback so that they’re reflected in future research and work.

OI technology is just not yet ready for deployment. Nevertheless, the researchers used this paper as a start line for further research.

“We have already got functional brain tissue models. We’ve electrophysiologically energetic systems whose electrical activity is synchronized and responds to chemical and electrical stimuli,” said Dr. Smirnova. By demonstrating essential molecular and cellular features of learning, we’re working to further characterize and optimize the system.”

Chan Park, cpark@aitimes.com