Scientists claim they taught hydrogel not only how to play Pong but also to improve at it over time

You may remember a few years ago when scientists taught a dish full of brain cell a game of Pong. The Guardian reports that researchers at the University of Reading, inspired by this experiment, have taught some ionized goop to play the classic video game of table tennis.

Please bear with me as I explain how this worked. Two electrode arrays were connected to a computer simulation of Pong, with a layer hydrogel in the center. The ball was moved across the screen by stimulating opposite pairs of electrodes. The electrical stimulation caused the charged ions to move in the hydrogel. The position of the paddle was determined by the point at which the current was the highest.

Dr Vincent Strong, the first author of a study published in Cell, said: "At first the ions are evenly and randomly distributed. So the paddle hits and missed the ball." The hydrogel got better as the simulation progressed. It not only played Pong but it also got better. "We claim that it has memory and that through that memory, it can improve its performance by gaining experiences," Dr Strong said.

It sounds to me as a layperson like proof that Pong, a simple game, is a random array charged ions attracted by electrical stimulus will eventually align in a way which represents a slightly more than random tactic. The game was first played by kids who would set up the controls in such a way that the ball would bounce between them forever. They would then sit and stare at this hypnotic display. It's an old game for children.

Still, I love the claim that electrical goo can form memories. It's a bit like the first scene of a remake The Blob, where the goo is trained on violent videogames and eventually learns to kill. Then it breaks free to get its revenge. Researchers may be annoyed that horror movies portray them as mad scientist, but they'll continue to give quotes to mainstream media which make them sound as insane as any Vincent Price character.