In The Matrix, robots are self-aware of their existence. This is a bad thing as it eventually leads to the enslavement of mankind. The idea of a human brain inside a robot is intriguing for anyone whose ever wanted to put their brain in a robot body to become an Adrian Barbobot. Scientists are getting closer to that vision, having equipped a small robot with rat neurons to control itself.

An interesting trait of the artificial brain is that it can get bored. If it doesn’t receive any information from the electrodes it’s connected to, the neurons will break the connections, likewise, when the neurons are stimulated, more connections are formed. The robot that was built runs on wheels with an ultrasound sensor enabling it to spot when it is approaching a wall and redirect itself accordingly. That’s great and all but could’t you just do that with an Arduino?

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If you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside the head of Lando Calrissian’s cyborg-liaison, Lobot, engineers at Caltech have created a robotic device intended to be used as a brain to computer interface. By positioning electrodes in neural tissue, we’ll be able to turn organic beings into mindless robot drones.

This technology is at a primitive stage in time, but with further research, scientists hope to eventually give up on humanity. Expect no mercy during the great robot wars.

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Chinese scientists say they have discovered a way to remotely control a pigeon using electronic technology. Using micro electrodes implanted in the bird’s bird brain, the scientists can make it fly left, right, up, and down. Scientists stimulate the implants using a computer which stimulates each designated part of the brain. This is the first successful experiment of its kind, and is frankly, quite eerie. Mind readers, hypnotists, and politicians are all jumping for joy, we’re sure, for this successful mind harnessing experiment.

The U.S Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has also tried experiments in controlling animals, notably an experiment in manipulating a sharks brain waves. A similar experiment was also conducted on mice in 2003, yet the advancements in technology offer the scientists with more control. They might be bird brains they’re working with, but the pigeons are doing a fine job despite the circumstances. — Andrew Dobrow

Chinese scientists experiment with the remote control of animals [People's Daily News]