• Question: Would it be possible to use stem cells to grow an organic machine, or just use the brain to power ordinary machines, making them able to perform mind processes which current computers are currently unable to comprehend?

    Asked by octopus to Anzy, Aoife, Dave, Matt, Tomasz on 13 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: David Christensen

      David Christensen answered on 13 Nov 2013:

      Wow that’s a cool thought! Thanks for the question octopus.

      I don’t know anything about this, but just googled it quickly and it seems there was a news story last year about some scientists making a tiny machine using heart cells that was able to walk by itself! I guess scientists are developing other ways to use cells to build complex mechanical machines, which seems pretty cool.

      I’ve had to google computers made out of cells too. Sorry I don’t anything about these things myself, but it is really interesting! It seems scientists made a kind of “biological transistor” inside cells earlier this year, which seems interesting and can help answer questions about what is happening inside a cell. I guess this is a kind of question that a normal computer can’t do, but not because they can’t comprehend it, just because they can’t see in cells better than we can generally.

      I think the big hope for improved computing power is the quantum computer. I don’t understand at all what that is or how it works. Physics was never my strong subject!

      I hope I’ve answered your question ok!

    • Photo: Matthew Tomlinson

      Matthew Tomlinson answered on 14 Nov 2013:

      Hi octopus

      That is a very cool question. I’ve not heard of the work Dave has mentioned but I know people have been working on making molecular machines so I guess a cell is just a more complicated molecule. In terms of using the brain to power machines, there is work going on in the US and Switzerland to develop brain – machine interfaces that allow people to move things like robotic arms or electric wheelchairs with their mind. That to me is absolutely amazing because it means people who are paralysed will be able to use their mind to get around. For computing I’m really not sure, the brain is amazingly complex but I don’t know if we can harness it for computation. Quantum computing seems like the best bet for faster computing, at the moment that is.

      I hope that answers your question in some way!

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