In 1951 Marvin Minsky teamed with Dean Edmonds build the first artificial neural network that simulated a rat finding its way through a maze. They designed the first (40 neuron) neurocomputer, SNARC (Stochastic Neural Analog Reinforcement Computer), with synapses that adjusted their weights (measures of synaptic permeabilities) according to the success of performing a specified …
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In the pulp magazine "Astounding Science Fiction" of August, 1950, J. J. Coupling (Pseudonym) wrote an article titled "How To Build A Thinking Machine". It used a trial and error approach, using a maze as an example. There is no evidence to date that suggests it was ever realized. The article is quite interesting in that Coupling …
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Ian P. Howard with his Maze Runner (Photo supplied by Ian P. Howard – April 2008) Note the novel use of hexagonal tiles to give the branched track. Prof. Dr. Ian P. Howard Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology and Biology Founder of the Centre for Vision Research York University Canada Biography (by Prof. Dr. …
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MECHANICAL RAT FINDS WAY IN MAZE – Popular Science Nov 1935 As if endowed with powers of reasoning, a mechanical “rat” devised by Dr. Stevenson Smith, University of Washington psychologist, threads its way through an artificial maze like those used to study the behavior of living rats. The three-wheeled, electric-powered device moves along a grooved path …
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