Dumb Humans, Smart Robots
So, two news stories this week involving the brain. First, a lack of the brain. I should be laughing at this and quoting the old limerick about Little Timmy and the sulfuric acid, but the educator in me just can’t muster the humor.
“
The class was part of a program run by the Connecticut-based Summer Institute for the Gifted. It isn't affiliated with the university.
The students were performing a popular experiment in which liquid nitrogen is used to make ice cream.
Nitrogen liquefies at negative 328 degrees Fahrenheit -- cold enough to cause burns.
The Summer Institute said the boy was in critical condition and had been upgraded to stable.”
Okay.
Newsflash.
No matter how smart you think you are, ALWAYS obey the safety rules! They’re not there to eat up a day or two of your time while we teach them. They exist to minimize risk.
Next, a brain is placed where there used to be none. Now, your brain is filled with the living version of wires. These wires are called neurons. They look like this.
Scientists at the University of Reading grew a group in a test tube and used them in this robot.
The robot can dodge objects with its programming. They replaced the main circuits with human brain tissue. It “thinks” through living tissue. It can't really think, but it does the job with living parts instead of mechanical ones.
I wonder if in 40 years I’ll teach students who claim this little guy as an ancestor. They’ll ask for a pass to take oil breaks.
