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Scientists Build a Simple Gel 'Brain' That Learns How to Play Pong Better
A little blob of squishy transparent gel can not only play the video game Pong, it can get better at it over time.
"Our research shows that even very simple materials can exhibit complex, adaptive behaviors typically associated with living systems or sophisticated AI," explains biomedical engineer Yoshikatsu Hayashi of the University of Reading in the UK. Biomedical engineers Vincent Strong, William Holderbaum, and Hayashi, all at the University of Reading, wanted to explore whether a similar learning ability could be demonstrated in something far simpler than human brain tissue. Ions – particles that have a charge – within the hydrogel's matrix of crosslinked polymer chains move when an electric current is applied, which causes the gel to change shape.
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