Swedish researchers have used an artificial neuron to control a Venus flytrap. 

The next generation of advanced implants and prosthetics require a link between the body’s nervous system and electronic circuits. 

This is a major challenge, because the two operate in very different ways. Neurons rely on electrical signals, but not in the same way as an electronic circuit. In the nervous system, neurons are controlled by changes in the concentration of ions, rather than the flow of electrons (which control electronic circuits).

Since 2018, Swedish researchers have been working on artificial neurons and synapses - the structures that connect two neurons - made out of organic materials that are biocompatible, biodegradable, soft, and can carry both electronic and ionic signals.

The components are manufactured using a combination of screen printing and spray coating, allowing thousands to be printed in a single batch. Several of the components can be combined to create a mini-circuit that mimics the behaviour of a neuron.

In the most recent study, the device was wired up inside a Venus flytrap. The plant does not have a nervous system, but it does rely on the same kind of ionic signals to trigger its jaws to close.

For a new paper in Nature Communications, a current was fired into the input of the artificial neuron and caused the plant to snap shut.

Integrating an artificial neuron to interface directly with a biological system is a significant breakthrough.

The same research team has also been wiring their neurons together to create networks, using artificial synapses designed to connect two neurons together.

They say the synapses are even capable of Hebbian learning - increasing or decreasing the strength of the connection between two neurons based on activity. This is a central aspect of how information is encoded into the brain.

“It will take many years of research to achieve the efficiency of our brain, but I believe we are on the right track to demonstrate printed, small-scale artificial neural networks,” says Simone Fabiano, an associate professor at Linköping University in Sweden and senior author on the study.

One of the goals of the research is to create a new type of supercomputer. 

“The human brain is one of the most advanced computers ever made,” Dr Fabiano says.

“It has a massive amount of memory and is excellent at processing information and making decisions while consuming very little energy. On the contrary, man-made supercomputers are bulky and consume a lot of energy.

“Being able to mimic the functioning of biological neurons with electronic devices could enable the development of artificial intelligence technologies.”