Worm brain in Robot body!

Well we have done it. Captured the imagination of media types!
Wish it sounded a little more like science and less like science fiction, but heck, this is a little bit of science posing as science fiction, right in our back yard.

In terms projects that started at UCSD/CRBS, the Open Worm is a fantastic success. Dr. Larson, the creator of NeuroLex, founded the Open Worm, funded it with kickstarter (take that, NIH), an open "hacker" community that asks "Can we fully simulate the C.Elegans?" Biomechanics, neurons, molecules....you name it. If you put these models together into one virtual organism, will the organism function as expected?

If there is ever an organism that is amenable to simulation, it is the worm (sorry Human Brain Project folks) and the argument goes that what we learn from the worm simulations we can start to apply to other simulated species.

Check out Stephen's Ted Talk:
http://youtu.be/EKopW86CCJo?list=PL8yrjrxWR4NNy_XcYi1fBZGnNLPgKQ0rq