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Watanabe Lab
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The lab builds and tests artificial consciousness to uncover how the brain gives rise to consciousness.
AboutAbout the lab
Unraveling how consciousness works through artificial consciousness.
The Watanabe Lab aims to uncover how consciousness arises in the brain (the neural mechanisms of consciousness) by developing and testing artificial consciousness.
Using spiking neural networks that mimic the workings of neurons in the brain, the lab aims to build a machine in which consciousness resides.
To verify whether consciousness has arisen in a machine, the lab also pursues research and development of a new brain-machine interface that connects the brain and the machine.
This research looks ahead to the realization of consciousness uploading in the near future.
Key terms
- Spiking neural network
- A brain-like computational model that mimics even the way neurons emit electrical pulses (spikes)
- Brain-machine interface
- A technology that directly connects the brain and a machine, reading signals from the brain and sending signals to it
- Corpus callosum
- A thick bundle of nerve fibers connecting the left and right brain hemispheres
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to uncover the neural mechanisms of consciousness by developing a machine in which consciousness resides and testing it subjectively. To this end, it also pursues research and development of a new brain-machine interface that connects machines and brains.
*Illustrative imageBuilding a machine in which consciousness resides
The lab builds a machine in which consciousness resides using spiking neural networks. It objectively examines the trained network's performance, such as visual recognition, and whether it behaves like a mammalian brain.
*Illustrative imageTesting consciousness by connecting brain hemispheres
This method replaces one brain hemisphere with a machine hemisphere and checks whether the subject can also experience the machine side's visual field, in order to determine whether consciousness has arisen in the machine. Research and development will begin with experimental animals.
*Illustrative imageA BMI that reads from and writes to nerve bundles
The lab is developing a brain-machine interface that cuts bundles of nerve fibers, such as the corpus callosum connecting the left and right brain hemispheres, and performs recording and stimulation at the cut surface.
MembersFaculty
- Associate ProfessorMasataka WatanabePublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “GFP Neurons” ManuelSchottdorf / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Building a machine in which consciousness resides: “ASNN” Daemon2010 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Testing consciousness by connecting brain hemispheres: “Human brain superior-lateral view” John A Beal, PhD, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- A BMI that reads from and writes to nerve bundles: “DTI-sagittal-fibers” Thomas Schultz / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Yamada Lab): “Oak Ridge - Kraken (Cray XT5)” Daderot / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Koshizuka-Shibata Lab): “DeltaSPH” Salvatore Marrone / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Nagai Lab): “Mesh bunny” G1malitm / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Hara Lab): “Cityscape of Tokyo, view from Tokyo Skytree ( by Takeishiwataru @Pixabay 1272392)” Takeishiwataru / CC0 (cropped)
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