Advanced Brain-on-a-Chip for Wetware Computing: A Review

In pursuit of low-power consumption and surpassing computational limitations of silicon-based chips, people are beginning to seek more efficient computing devices, such as Wetware Computing. The cutting-edge approach uses living biological tissues, specifically neuronal networks, to perform computational tasks. This computing method, which is a mixture of hardware, software, and biology, is an emerging computing method that has received a lot of attention in recent years. As an important branch of organ-on-a-chip, brain-on-a-chip, which combines Micro-Electro-Mechanical System technology, electronic technology, and tissue engineering, can provide a powerful research platform for Wetware Computing. In this paper, the brain-on-a-chip for Wetware Computing is reviewed. This paper summarizes the methods for establishing a brain-on-a-chip for Wetware Computing, including the brain organoids cultured in vitro, microelectrode arrays, electrophysiology interfaces, and microfluidic platforms that make up the brain-on-a-chip. In addition, the data processing methods of brain-on-a-chip are reviewed, including encoding and decoding methods. In this paper, the focus is also on the application and the prospect of brain-on-a-chip in Wetware Computing.