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In a lab in Vevey, tiny clumps of human brain cells, known as organoids, are being used as rudimentary computer processors. This emerging field, called biocomputing or “wetware,” seeks to harness the human brain’s natural computing power rather than simulating it with silicon chips.
FinalSpark, a Swiss start-up, creates these bioprocessors from stem cells originally derived from human skin. The cells are transformed into neurons and formed into millimetre-wide organoids, roughly the size of a fruit fly larva’s brain. Electrodes monitor and stimulate the organoids, allowing scientists to record their activity, which serves as the equivalent of ones and zeroes in traditional computing.
Co-founder Fred Jordan believes that, in the future, brainbased processors could complement or even replace the chips driving artificial intelligence, which currently consume massive amounts of energy. Biological neurons are significantly more energy-efficient than artificial ones and can be reproduced in the lab, unlike in-demand AI chips.
Globally, ten universities are experimenting with FinalSpark organoids. At the University of Bristol, researchers used an organoid to power a simple robot that could distinguish braille letters. Johns Hopkins University is studying organoids to investigate conditions such as autism and Alzheimer’s disease.
Challenges remain, including interpreting the organoids’ neural activity and managing their limited lifespan of up to six months. While wetware is far from competing with traditional computing hardware, scientists hope it will not only improve AI efficiency but also deepen understanding of how the human brain functions. Ethical considerations are also being addressed, as the organoids currently have only around 10,000 neurons—far fewer than a human brain— and lack the structures required for consciousness.
Scientists continue to monitor these neural clusters, often encountering unexpected activity that underscores how much about the brain remains a mystery.
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