‘200,000 living human neurons’ on a microchip demonstrated playing Doom — Cortical Labs CL1 video shows the gameplay and explains how the neurons learn the game

Australia’s Cortical Labs has demonstrated its 'body in a box' CL1 biological computer playing Doom. A video showing the Doom gameplay, and explaining the processes behind this feat was shared by the research and development team. In the video intro, it is claimed that “around 200,000 living human neurons on a microchip” were used to power the seminal FPS action.

We reported on the Cortical Labs CL1 launch last year. The biotech company behind “the world’s first code deployable biological computer” was very bullish about their combination of human brain cells with traditional silicon-based computing. Shipments of CL1 computers were scheduled for June of the same year.

Previously, the CL1 development team had demonstrated the neurons playing the pioneering arcade game Pong, but internet users bombarded Cortical Labs with requests for Doom (of course). Now, Doom has been demonstrated being played by the mass of neurons.

“Doom was much more complex,” explained Dr. Brett Kagan in the video. Its 3D labyrinths, enemies, weapons, etc., make it several degrees more advanced than Pong. This complexity inspired the ‘Cortical Cloud’ for training more complex tasks.

“Together with one of our collaborators, an independent researcher named Sean Cole, we coded the first working version of Doom using the Cortical Labs API, and running on a CL1,” said Dr. Alon Loeffler of c, who presented this demo video. Kagan added that the demo showed “adaptive real-time goal-directed learning” in action.

Company CTO David Hogan explains that Sean Cole managed to pipe the “video feed from the game into patterns of electrical stimulation” and, in that way, the neurons could feel the action. So, for example, if the neurons fire in a specific learned pattern, the Doom guy shoots, and another pattern will prompt him to move position. This way, the brain cells can find enemies, shoot them, and then progress.

Not an eSports champion - yet

This is impressive to see, but “Is it an eSports champion? Absolutely not,” states Kagan, employing some rhetoric. Importantly, though, “they are learning,” and feedback for the right and wrong actions needs to be refined. Nevertheless, Cortical Labs is happy it has “solved the interface problem” to interact with the brain cells in real-time, and then train them and shape their behavior. This is why the CL1 was designed. And it is hoped the CL1 will be able to soon excel at Doom gaming, and then take on ever-increasingly complex tasks.

The video ends with a call to developers and researchers to come and interact with the open Cortical Labs CL1 API – to see what they can build. “The neurons are ready.”

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