One step closer to cybernetics

German researchers have successfully combined a silicon wafer and a brain cell.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany successfully connected a brain cell and a microchip provided by Infineon. The neuroparticle, measuring only 1 square millimeter and with 16 transistors, and the nerve endings were linked together by special proteins in the brain.

A rat brain cell with a simple silicon wafer beneath it

During the experiment, the cell was successfully stimulated with the help of an artificial device, and the latter was also able to record signals that came from an integral part of the unit. A further aim of the experiments is to find methods that do not cause permanent damage to neurons after a possible microchip contact.

Star Trek's vision of cyborgs: the film presents them as relentless, senseless creatures

Of course, these results are still very far from the technology needed to create the creatures shown above, but at least the first step has already been taken. If all of this is available to us, it will be much easier to cure various nerve-based diseases, for example, and it will be possible to build biological-based computers that will be able to store significantly more data than we do now - just think of the capacity of the human brain.