Scientists Build Artificial Neurons That Match Real Ones — Breakthrough Innovation
New Artificial Neurons That Act Like Real Ones
Scientists recently built artificial neurons that mimic natural ones. They run on extremely low voltage. This design helps them link directly with biological cells.
Their invention uses protein nanowires grown from electricity-producing bacteria. As a result, the artificial neurons operate near our body’s own voltage levels.
This breakthrough overcomes a major hurdle. Earlier artificial neurons used far higher voltage. They needed amplifiers to communicate with living tissue.
Why This Matters
The human brain is power efficient. It sends signals using roughly 0.1 volts. The team’s neurons also fire at around that level.
Therefore, these artificial versions may act seamlessly alongside biological neurons. They no longer need intermediate amplification.
Engineers tested them with living tissue. They found that the artificial neurons detected changes in cell signaling. In other words, they responded when the biological cells became more active.
The implications are broad. Wearables or medical implants might one day speak the same “language” as our bodies. This could reduce energy use and simplify device design.
Still, challenges remain. Scaling up production of protein nanowires is hard. Also, coating larger surfaces uniformly is difficult.
In addition, integrating many of these neurons into a full system will need more work. Yet this step brings us closer to biohybrid electronics. As a result, we may see new devices that merge biology and circuits.
