Neurobit Project

IST-2001-33564 (2002-2005)

The main objective of the project was to develop a bi-directional connection between a biological neuronal preparation (i.e., an in-vitro neuronal network) and an actual robot for studying the adaptive properties and learning mechanisms of the neuronal system.
The project has an interdisciplinary approach with expertise ranging from electrophysiology, neurobiology, neuroengineering, microelectronics and information technology. The synergic effort among the Partners, consolidated during the three year of the project, resulted in defined specific technical and scientific achievements as well as in the completion of the overall objective of the project.

The contribution of the IXL group to the project mainly consisted in the design of the dedicated hardware and software for real-time bi-directional interaction between a cultured neural population and an artificial body, i.e. a real or virtual robot.
The specific role of IXL was related to the following topics:
• Design of the Neurobit rack for acquisition and stimulation of in-vitro neural cultures
• Design of the real-time close-loop system
• Design of the mass storage system