Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Scientists Put a Worm Brain in a Lego Robot Body - And It Worked

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

It's not an actual worm brain, of course. It's simulated, based on the OpenWorm project that "mapped all the connections between the worm's 302 neurons and managed to simulate them in software." It also uses digital sensors in places of the worm's senses. I find the demonstration (there's a video) interesting conceptually. We know the worm doesn't have internal representations of concepts such as 'wall' or even 'space', yet it manages to navigate. This suggests that perceptual understanding is important in a way that conceptual understanding is not. Learning isn't about making meaning, it's about being able to observe and perceive. Full report.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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Last Updated: Nov 21, 2024 10:47 p.m.

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