4 ms·
If a Portia spider has only 600K of neurons it is within range of simulating and testing it with current technology, for example the TrueNorth chip has 1 millio
by fsiefken 10y ago
If a Portia spider has only 600K of neurons it is within range of simulating and testing it with current technology, for example the TrueNorth chip has 1 million neuronlike structures (Spaun, Blue Brain project or the TrueNorth chip) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrueNorth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrueNorth
Perhaps it can already be done with off the shelf hardware and software:
https://www.neuron.yale.edu/phpBB/ https://www.neuron.yale.edu/phpBB/
http://www.nengo.ca/ http://www.nengo.ca/
http://www.nest-simulator.org/ http://www.nest-simulator.org/
It all reminds me a bit of the Vernor Vinge SF novel about intelligent spiders:
"The planet's inhabitants, called "Spiders" by the humans for their resemblance to arachnids, have reached a stage of technological development very similar to that of Earth's humans in the early 20th century, although humans believe that they may once have been capable of space travel."
Is it a coincidence that Spiders and Octopi have 2^3 legs and are more intelligent then we expected them to be?
- misja111 10y agoIt's not just the number of neurons that makes brains so complex, it is also the far larger number of connections. The average brain cell is connected to 1000 up to 10000 other cells. So for 600K neurons the simulation needs to simulate something between 600 and 6000 million connections.
- LoSboccacc 10y agomoreover every connection is not a simple fixed function * transfer weight either, they have varying activation levels, can be inhibited or self stimulate and have all sort of behaviors related to fatiguing and the presence or absence of certain chemicals around them
- talideon 10y agoIs the book you're referring to 'A Deepness in the Sky'?
- fsiefken 10y agoYes, I've yet to read the third installment of the series, the "Slow Zone of the Zones of Thought" barrier of space travel provides an interesting setting.
- joshmarlow 10y agoThe third book, "The Children of the Sky" was actually really good. It spent a lot more time exploring the group minds of the Tines.