Scientists train human brain cells on a microchip to play Doom

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Researchers at Cortical Labs have shown that brain cells, grown on a small computer chip, can actually be taught to play the video game Doom. This is a remarkably unique experiment in the field of computing.

So, I saw this crazy demo from an Aussie biotech company. They’ve built a biological computer – seriously, it uses living brain cells! They grew around 200,000 human neurons on this tiny microchip, kind of like a super-advanced circuit board with electrodes, and it actually works as a computer. It’s wild!

This system lets neurons get signals from a computer and send back responses that control the game.

Human neurons trained to control Doom gameplay

Cortical Labs says this experiment follows up on their previous work where lab-grown neurons learned to play Pong. However, playing Doom is much harder because the game has 3D spaces and includes enemies.

The researchers explained in a video released on February 25th that they needed to find a way to connect the digital game Doom to the way brains work, using electrical signals as the common link.

The system translates actions in the game into electrical signals that activate specific areas of a neuron network. For example, if something appears on the left side of the screen, electrodes stimulate the corresponding part of the neurons, causing them to fire signals that the system reads as commands to move or shoot.

They explained that Doomguy’s actions – like shooting or moving – are determined by specific patterns of neuron activity. Different firing patterns trigger different actions.

Scientists have discovered that these cells can learn and adjust to new situations, although their abilities are still quite basic.

Okay, so let’s be real – these guys are not esports champions yet. Honestly, watching them play feels like seeing someone pick up a computer for the very first time. They’re definitely beginners right now!

The classic game Doom came out in 1993 and has been played on almost every kind of device imaginable. Interestingly, scientists have even managed to simulate a version of it – not with traditional computers, but using gut bacteria! There was, however, a significant limitation to this bacterial Doom.

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2026-03-01 18:49