Researchers at Princeton University have created a new kind of computing system that combines living brain cells with advanced electronics.
This unusual device works in three dimensions and can be trained to recognize patterns, offering a fresh way to explore both artificial intelligence and the human brain.
The study, published in Nature Electronics, takes a different approach from earlier experiments.
In the past, scientists usually grew brain cells in flat layers in a dish or in small clusters that were studied from the outside.
In this new system, the researchers built a tiny 3D structure first, then allowed brain cells to grow around and inside it.
At the center of the device is a delicate mesh made of microscopic metal wires and electrodes. This mesh is coated with a very thin layer of epoxy, which makes it flexible enough to work with soft, living neurons.
The mesh acts like a scaffold, guiding the growth of tens of thousands of brain cells into a complex three-dimensional network.
Because the electrodes are embedded throughout the structure, the researchers can interact with the neurons directly from within.
This allows them to both record electrical signals and send signals back into the network with much greater detail than before. Over more than six months, the team carefully observed how the neurons connected and changed over time.
By adjusting these connections, the researchers were able to “train” the system. They used patterns of electrical pulses and taught the network to recognize differences between them.
In one test, the system learned to tell apart patterns that differed in space. In another, it distinguished patterns that changed over time. In both cases, the living network was able to correctly identify the patterns.
The project was led by Tian-Ming Fu, James Sturm and Kumar Mritunjay. While their original goal was to better understand how brain cells behave, they quickly saw a wider opportunity. Modern artificial intelligence systems require enormous amounts of energy to operate.
In contrast, the human brain is incredibly efficient, using far less power to perform similar tasks.
This new device could help researchers learn how the brain achieves such efficiency. By studying how living neurons process information, scientists may be able to design future computing systems that use much less energy.
There are also possible medical benefits. Systems like this could provide new ways to study neurological conditions and test treatments in a controlled environment that more closely resembles the real brain.
Although the technology is still in its early stages, the team hopes to expand it further. In the future, larger and more complex networks could be built to handle more advanced tasks.
This research shows that combining biology with electronics may open the door to a new kind of computing—one that is not only powerful, but also energy-efficient and closer to how the human brain works.
