Scientists had attempted to use brain cells for computation before, but earlier systems faced limitations because the biological neurons and electronic components were not fully integrated with each other. (Image for representation/Magnific)Just imagine a device, but not entirely a device – something living. Researchers from Princeton University have invented a three-dimensional device that uses real biological neurons together with advanced electronics in a single working system.The device can be programmed using computational methods to identify and recognise patterns. The study was published in Nature Electronics.Scientists had attempted to use brain cells for computation before, but earlier systems faced limitations because the biological neurons and electronic components were not fully integrated with each other.Also Read | Neanderthals may have performed the world’s 1st dental procedure around 60,000 years ago: StudyEarlier efforts relied either on flat, two-dimensional cell cultures grown in Petri dishes or on three-dimensional clusters of cells that could only be monitored and stimulated from the outside.How and what the team didThe Princeton team took a different approach. Rather than observing neurons from a distance, they built a system that sits right inside the network itself.Using advanced fabrication techniques, the researchers built a three-dimensional scaffold made of tiny metal wires and electrodes, coated with a soft, flexible material designed to work alongside living neurons.The structure allowed tens of thousands of neurons to grow into and around the electronic network, forming a three-dimensional biological neural system integrated with electronics capable of both recording signals from the cells and stimulating them.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Science may have an explanation for why some places feel ‘haunted’The resulting device reportedly contains around 70,000 biological neurons connected to dozens of microscopic electrodes that can monitor and influence the cells’ electrical activity in real time.The joint initiativeThe project was led by researchers including Fu and James Sturm, the Stephen R. Forrest Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton, along with Kumar Mritunjay, a postdoctoral researcher who carried out much of the work while he was still a graduate student. Mritunjay is also the paper’s first author.Researchers said the system was able to recognise relatively simple patterns under controlled conditions. The team hopes to further develop the platform so it can eventually handle more complex tasks in the future.(Written by Paramita Datta, who is an intern with The Indian Express) © IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:discoveryScience