Pong prodigy: Hydrogel material shows unexpected learning abilities

In a study published22 August in Cell Reports Physical Science, a team led by Dr. Yoshikatsu Hayashi demonstrated that a simple hydrogel—a type of soft, flexible material—can learn to play the simple 1970s computer game "Pong." The hydrogel, interfaced with a computer simulation of the classic game via a custom-built multi-electrode array, showed improved performance over time.