Artificial brain with the ability to count and reason

A team of neuroscientists and software experts in Canada claim to have created an artificial brain that functions most like a human brain.

Computer model of an artificial brain by neuroscientists and software experts in Canada. Photo: Science Daily.

The brain from the University of Waterloo in Canada, called SPAUN (Semantic Pointer Architecture Unified Network), contains 2.5 million artificial neurons. The neurons are divided into smaller systems that take on the functions of areas of the human brain - such as the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus. So it can perform eight tasks such as counting, drawing, answering questions, and reasoning. A bionic eye helps it receive visual information, while a mechanical arm performs the manipulations, Science Daily reported.

In one test, scientists displayed a series of letters and numbers for SPAUN to read and memorize. They then displayed commands in the form of symbols or words to instruct SPAUN on what to do. The artificial brain used a mechanical arm to write down the letters and numbers it remembered.

Chris Eliasmith, the lead researcher, said that SPAUN can only perform simple tasks at the current stage. But in the future, the team will continue to improve the artificial brain so that it can combine simple operations into more complex tasks.

According to VnExpress - VT