Cortical Labs CL1 – Biological based dataprocessing in the cloud (corticallabs.com)

Cortical Labs has unveiled the CL1, a sealed, high-performance “biological computer” that runs closed‑loop experiments by connecting real neuronal cultures to software in real time. The self‑contained device houses life‑support systems, recordings, applications and compute on board (no external servers required), and can sustain neurons for up to six months. Researchers can plug cameras, USB devices, actuators and sensors into the company’s “Cortical Cloud,” use a touchscreen to monitor experiments, and program bi‑directional stimulation/read interfaces to drive and record network activity — enabling real‑time learning, adaptation and network plasticity studies. For AI/ML and neuroscience communities the CL1 bridges living neural computation and digital systems, offering a platform to study how real neurons encode information, learn, and respond to compounds or disease perturbations. Its closed‑loop programmability supports experiments that probe causality in network dynamics and test neuromorphic or hybrid algorithms against biological substrates. Because it centralizes life support and compute with a low energy footprint and extended culture lifetimes, the CL1 promises longer, more scalable studies and an alternative to animal models that could produce more human‑relevant data — though it also raises new ethical and regulatory questions around the use of cultured human neural tissue.