A new biologically inspired “wet computer” research project uses chemical reactions to mimic neurons.

Funded by an EU emerging technologies program, it will make use of stable “cells” featuring a coating that forms spontaneously, similar to the walls of our own cells, and uses chemistry to accomplish the signal processing similar to that of our own neurons.

It is intended for uses such as controlling molecular robots, fine-grained control of chemical assembly, and intelligent drugs that process the chemical signals of the human body and act according to the local biochemical state of the cell.