PONG players – Laboratory grown!

Pong is the simple game from 1972. Mini-brains were first produced in 2013, to study microcephaly (a genetic disorder where the brain is too small, and have since been used for research into brain development).

So, they’ve been plugged into and had interaction with an external environment – in this case PONG. The mini-brain learned to play in five minutes. It often missed the ball – but its success rate was well above random chance. Although, with no consciousness, it does not know it is playing Pong in the way a human player would, the researchers stress.

We love that last line, next up, robotic Monopoly with attitude. Read ALL about it HERE.