Cortical Labs connected 200,000 human neurons to its CL1 silicon interface and got them to play Doom. The neurons, grown from blood-derived stem cells, navigated the game world and fired weapons. Training sessions boosted their accuracy over time.
How the System Worked
Cortical Labs started with stem cells from adult blood samples. They grew these into 200,000 neurons in a lab dish and placed them on the CL1 chip. The interface sent electrical signals representing Doom's game state—like enemy positions and player location. It also read neural spikes to translate them into movement and shooting commands.
Learning Through Training
Doom's visual data became electrical patterns fed to the neurons. Specific spike clusters told the system to move forward or fire. Early attempts were slow and messy. After repeated sessions, the neurons responded faster and hit targets more often. The system learned which neural patterns worked best through this hands-on practice.
Energy-Saving Potential
Human neurons use far less power than silicon processors. This experiment shows biological systems could handle real-time tasks while sipping energy. Cortical Labs sees it as a step toward low-power alternatives for computing. The company isn't building consumer products yet but believes the approach has legs for future hardware.
Next Moves
The research team will submit full results to a peer-reviewed journal within 30 days. Scientists will pore over the methodology and performance data. Cortical Labs also wants to test larger neuron networks to see if they handle more complex tasks. The journal's decision on publication will set the next timeline.
