The world's first 'body in a box' biological computer costs $35,000 and looks both cool as hell plus creepy as heck
Here's one for you: when is a 'body in a box' not as macabre as it sounds? Simple—when it's a tech startup. Wait! Put the turn-of-the-millennium trench coat and sunglasses combo down! Let me explain.
The CL1 is described as "the world's first code deployable biological computer" according to the splashy website, incorporating human brain cells in order to send and receive electrical signals (via The Independent). These cells hang out on the surface of the computer's silicon chip, and the machine's Biological Intelligence Operating System (or biOS for short—cute), allows users to wrangle the neurons for a variety of computing tasks.
Organic hardware like this for research purposes isn't new—for just one example, FinalSpark's Neuroplatform began offering rentable 'minibrains' last year.
The neurons central to the CL1 are lab-grown, cultivated inside a nutrient rich solution and then kept alive thanks to a tightly temperature controlled environment working alongside an internal life support system. Under favourable conditions, the cells can survive for up to six months. Hence, the project's chief scientific officer Brett Kagan pitching it "like a body in a box."
Should you be so inclined to pick up your own surprisingly fleshy, short-lived computer, you can do so from June…for $35,000. Now, I know what you're thinking—not because you're actually living life in a Matrix-style pod, but purely because I'm asking the same question: Why?
First, a smidge more background on this brain box, which is the latest project from Cortical Labs, and was unveiled this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We've covered this Melbourne-based company before, with highlights including that time their team coaxed brain cells in a petri dish to learn Pong faster than AI.
That lattermost experiment is the CL1's great grandparent, with continued scientific interest fostered by the hope that 'wetware' like lab-grown brain cells could give robotics and AI a serious leg-up. Whereas traditional AI can play something like the theatre kid favourite of 'yes, and' but totally lacks any true understanding of context, the lab-grown neurons could potentially learn and adapt.
Furthermore, the lab-grown cells are apparently much more energy efficient compared to the power demands of AI using more traditional, non-biological computers. Turns out the old noggin cells are still showing that new-fangled silicon a trick or two. Who would have thought?
However, there's no avoiding the question of ethics: what are these brain cells experiencing, and is it anything like sentience—or suffering? Perhaps my questions verge on the hyperbolic, but my own osseous brain box can do nothing but wonder.
Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
VSCO's new, free app doesn't just apply film presets before you shoot – it mimics that film-like glow from an iPhone
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Mobile editing powerhouse VSCO made a name for itself with film-inspired mobile presets – but iPhone photographers no longer need to wait until after taking the shot to get the film-like look. VSCO Capture is a new iOS app that applies presets before you shoot, giving photographers manual exposure controls and even dials in the glow and halation of old film lenses. VSCO previously teased the Capture app with a slow launch, releasing the app in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. But on July 22, VSCO began rolling out the Capture app worldwide on iOS. Unlike the longstanding VSCO app, VSCO Capture is designed not for editing photos but for shooting them. The filters that VSCO is known for are applied before the shot, allowing mobile photographers to see the effect as they frame the shot on the screen. At launch, the app includes more than 50 live filter presets. But the film-inspired presets aren't the only way Capture aims to bring an analog look to iPhones. The app allows photographers to apply Bloom and Halation in real-time before shooting. Bloom and halation are terms for a glowing effect around the brightest parts of an image, a look that was common from old film lenses and can be mimicked on modern glass with a diffusion filter. Both tools in Capture create a glow around light sources, but Halation comes with a tint control to also adjust the color of that bloom of light, where the Bloom tool does not. Inside the VSCO Capture app, creators can adjust the strength, size, and range of both the bloom and halation effects. The company says that it gives users the ability to create anything from a subtle glow to a bold halo. The app opens to a live camera view, including the same controls found on the native iPhone app, like switching the lens and using the selfie camera. But besides the presets and halation tools, Capture also includes manual exposure controls, including shutter speed for creating motion blur. From the settings menu, creators can also toggle on a level and Rule of Thirds grid to aid in composition. While VSCO Capture's presets are applied as the image is taken, a toggle in the app's settings allows users to save both an original and an edited image, useful for changing the filter later, particularly when RAW mode is also turned on instead of JPEG. HEVC and ProRAW are also available from the app's settings menu on phones that support those file types. VSCO Capture is a free app available on the App Store for iOS devices. You may also like Browse the best photography apps or the best photo editing software.
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
This 200-light-year-wide structure could be feeding our galaxy's center: 'No one had any idea this cloud existed'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered a vast cloud of gas and dust stretching out for a staggering 200 light-years and lurking in a poorly explored region of the Milky Way. The structure, named the Midpoint cloud, is an example of a Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC). It was discovered by the team using the Green Bank Telescope. Peeling back the layers of the Midpoint cloud, they found dynamic regions including several potential sites of new star formation and dense lanes of dust feeding the heart of our galaxy. "No one had any idea this cloud existed until we looked at this location in the sky and found the dense gas," team leader and National Radio Astronomy Observatory scientist Natalie Butterfield said. "Through measurements of the size, mass, and density, we confirmed this was a giant molecular cloud." The active region of the GMC and its thick lanes of matter could reveal how material flows from the Milky Way's disk to the very heart of our galaxy. "These dust lanes are like hidden rivers of gas and dust that are carrying material into the center of our galaxy,' Butterfield continued. "The Midpoint cloud is a place where material from the galaxy's disk is transitioning into the more extreme environment of the galactic center and provides a unique opportunity to study the initial gas conditions before accumulating in the center of our galaxy." The gas within the Midpoint cloud exists in a turbulent state, which mirrors conditions found within gas at the Milky Way's center. This chaotic motion could be triggered by material flowing along dust lanes itself or by clashes between the Midpoint cloud and other molecular clouds. Also within the Midpoint cloud are several clumps of dense gas and dust that could be about to collapse and birth new stars. One clump, designated Knot E, appears to be a small but dense cloud of gas that is in the process of being eroded by the radiation blasted at it by stars in its proximity. Formations like this are referred to as free-floating evaporating gas globules (frEGGs). The astronomers also discovered a new source of intense microwave radiation called a "maser" that could be further evidence of intense star formation within the Midpoint cloud. The researchers didn't just discover evidence of stellar birth with this GMC, however. A shell-like structure in the Midpoint cloud appears to have been caused by the explosive supernova deaths of massive stars. Related Stories: —Our Milky Way galaxy may be surrounded by 100 undetected 'orphan' galaxies —Record-breaking Milky Way map showcases 1.5 billion objects: 'We have changed the view of our galaxy forever' —The Milky Way may not collide with neighboring galaxy Andromeda after all: 'From near-certainty to a coin flip' The research conducted by the team suggests the Midpoint cloud is vital to the flow of matter from the disk of the Milky Way to its heart. This would feed star formation in the thick central stellar bar that churns around the center of our galaxy. Similar structures of dense stars are found in other barred spiral galaxies. That means further investigation of this cloud and its surroundings could help develop a clearer picture of how the building blocks of stars gather at the center of galaxies. "Star formation in galactic bars is a bit of a puzzle," team member and Green Bank Observatory scientist Larry Morgan said. "The strong forces in these regions can actually suppress star formation. "However, the leading edges of these bars, such as where the Midpoint is located, can accumulate dense gas and trigger new star formation." The team's research was published on Wednesday (July 16) in The Astrophysical Journal. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
A mysterious crypto account bought $54,000 worth of bitcoin in 2011 and sold it all for $9.6 billion this week, which means they can now afford one Big Mac a day for 4,971,897 years
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. I never bought into the bitcoin boom, at least back in the day. In 2011, many would have told you your trousers were on backwards if you dropped over 50 grand on the then-ailing cryptocurrency, and I listened to said trouser-judgers. Crypto was a flop, bitcoin was dead in the water, and many of us (including this intrepid writer) were openly scoffing at the idea it would ever be worth serious cash. Well, more fool me, because one mysterious trader appears to have made off with a staggering amount of profit. As spotted by X user @kkashit_yt, one "whale" (as I believe is the common parlance) bought 80,000 bitcoin in 2011 and sold it all this week for $9.6 billion (via Tom's Hardware). Must be nice. 2011 wasn't the best year for bitcoin, as it started out with a valuation of around 29 cents a coin, rose to the dizzying heights of $19.02, and closed out the year at $4.21. You'd have to be truly committed to the idea to spend the equivalent of $77,435 in today's money on an investment that volatile, but our mysterious trader appears to have taken the bet and won. A $9.6 billion payout equates to roughly a 17,777,677% ROI overall, which simply dwarfs every other investment opportunity you could think of over the same time period. The largest publicly documented stock market ROI is believed to be a 25-year investment in Monster Beverage Corp., which between July 1, 2000 and June 30 of this year is said to have delivered a 145,503.31% return with an annualised growth rate of 33.82%. The second? Nvidia, somewhat predictably. Given its massive valuation rise in recent years, a 25-year investment in Nvidia stock would have netted you a 59,556.46% price return over the same period. Still, think of what $9.6 billion could buy you. If you were that lucky trader and you happen to be reading, allow me to present you with a selection of things you could do with your newfound riches: Develop between five and nine GTA 6 iterations Fund the production of Spiderman 2, 32 times over Buy one Big Mac a day for 4,971,897 years Commission nineteen versions of Jeff Bezo's superyacht (he'll be so pleased) Or you could run OpenAI for a year So, it's not like your options are limited. Bitcoin has experienced a remarkable boost in value in 2025, rising 27.23% since July 2024 to its current price of $119,096 at the time of writing. No wait, $119,345. Sorry, that should have been $119,079. Wait, it's more like… you get the idea. It's still a pretty volatile investment even at this mature stage of the market, although the Trump Media and Technology Group recently declared it owns $2 billion of the stuff. What it plans to do with it is anyone's guess. Money making money? I'm lucky if mine makes toast. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
