Biocomputing glossary
Terms used across living-neuron computing, organoid intelligence and synthetic biological intelligence.
- Biocomputer
- A computing system in which biological material performs part of the information processing.
- Biocomputing
- Umbrella term covering computation using biological molecules, cells or tissues.
- Biological neural network (BNN)
- A network of living neurons, usually contrasted with an artificial neural network.
- Wetware
- Informal term for living biological material used as part of a computing system.
- Organoid
- A three-dimensional cell culture that self-organises into some structural or functional features of an organ.
- Brain organoid
- A neural organoid modelling aspects of developing brain tissue.
- Organoid intelligence (OI)
- Research programme using organoids for information processing, learning and adaptive closed-loop systems.
- Synthetic biological intelligence (SBI)
- Engineered systems that combine living neural networks with artificial interfaces, software and task environments.
- Multielectrode array (MEA)
- Electrode array used to record extracellular neural activity and often to stimulate neural cultures.
- Closed loop
- Experimental arrangement in which recorded neural activity changes the environment or feedback, which then changes the next input to the neurons.
- Open loop
- Stimulation is delivered without adapting subsequent inputs to the measured output of the biological network.
- Reservoir computing
- Computing approach that uses the dynamics of a complex system as a high-dimensional transformation while training mainly the readout.
- Plasticity
- Activity-dependent change in neural connectivity or response properties.
- Spike
- Brief action potential produced by a neuron and commonly detected extracellularly by electrodes.
- Stimulation
- Electrical, optical or chemical input applied to a biological neural network.
- Encoding
- Mapping task information into stimulation patterns that can be delivered to the neural substrate.
- Decoding
- Mapping recorded neural activity into a task output, feature or control signal.
- Cortical Cloud
- Cortical Labs remote environment for running code against CL1 biological computing infrastructure.
- Neuroplatform
- FinalSpark’s remotely accessible organoid electrophysiology platform.
- iPSC
- Induced pluripotent stem cell; adult-derived cells reprogrammed to a pluripotent state and then differentiated into neurons or other cell types.
- Neuromorphic computing
- Electronic hardware designed around brain-like principles; usually non-living and therefore distinct from neural biocomputing.
- Biohybrid system
- A system combining living biological components with engineered non-living components.
- Whole-system energy
- Energy measured across the complete working apparatus rather than only the biological substrate.
- Benchmark
- Fixed task and evaluation protocol used to compare systems under defined conditions.