3 ms·
I often think about how something as simple as a cockroach is miles ahead of any robot that exists with regard to self-sufficiency. It can explore, find food,
by Mistletoe 3y ago
I often think about how something as simple as a cockroach is miles ahead of any robot that exists with regard to self-sufficiency. It can explore, find food, avoid predators, mate, never get stuck on stuff and tons of other behaviors with a brain and nervous system of only about 1,000,000 neurons. A fruit fly does it with 250k neurons.
- WalterBright 3y agoI suspect that a neuron is far more complex than a perceptron.
- ahmedfromtunis 3y agoWhy does a cockroach have 4 times more neurons than a fruitfly? What tasks do the cockroach need to achieve that require more "intelligence" than that of a fruitfly?
- ethanbond 3y agoThat’s not how evolution works. A cockroach might have 4x neurons because it just does.
- steve_adams_86 3y agoThis question makes me wonder if larger bodies have more complex physical/mechanical dynamics to solve for. Do physical laws become harder to get along with as your body plan expands? I wonder if that’s a factor.
- GlickWick 3y agoCockroaches are pretty impressive and live a long time, at least as far as insects go. Fruit flies measure life in the order of hours, but roaches can live for a year or more. I suspect you need a more complex nervous system to assess and survive in an environment as a prey animal for long periods of time, whereas fruit flies can likely just brute force it.
- Chaosvex 3y agoFruit flies can live for well over a month. The hours belief is a myth.
- dwaltrip 3y agoBrain size usually correlates with body size, and cockroaches are much bigger than fruit flies. I believe it’s something to do with operating the larger body.