We have all heard of Quantum Computers and Optical Computers which are based on Quantum Bits and Light respectively. Similar to that we also have Bio Computers which use DNA to store data and slime molds to create computational chips. Folks over at the Unconventional Computing Laboratory at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK have been studying mushrooms to find out if they can carry out computing and sensing functions. (No, I don’t mean that they are smoking them to come up with ideas 😉 ) Basically, they are growing mushrooms and integrating them with electronics to create logic gates which can be used to perform calculations.
In the brain, neurons use spiking activities and patterns to communicate signals, and this property has been mimicked to make artificial neural networks. Mycelium does something similar. That means researchers can use the presence or absence of a spike as their zero or one, and code the different timing and spacing of the spikes that are detected to correlate to the various gates seen in computer programming language (or, and, etc). Further, if you stimulate mycelium at two separate points, then conductivity between them increases, and they communicate faster, and more reliably, allowing memory to be established. This is like how brain cells form habits.
Mycelium with different geometries can compute different logical functions, and they can map these circuits based on the electrical responses they receive from it. “If you send electrons, they will spike,” says Adamatzky. “It’s possible to implement neuromorphic circuits… We can say I’m planning to make a brain from mushrooms.”
A mushroom motherboard. (Pic Credit: Andrew Adamatzky)
These computers would not be as fast as the regular computers but if they function as expected they will be extremely fault tolerant and self repairing so would be a good fit for remote places with extreme environment. Another advantage is that they consume very little energy so can be left running for a long time without having to worry about a power-source.
Source: Popsci.com: Inside the lab that’s growing mushroom computers
– Suramya