Play Pacman, Pinball, and Pong With a Paramecium

The article, at http://science.slashdot.org/...">http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/01/15/149225/Play-emPacmanem-emPinb..., says:

Quote:... 'Physicist Ingmar Riedel-Kruse and his team from Stanford University have done just that by creating versions of classic games that you can navigate by physically controlling living organisms. A game called PAC-mecium is Pacman with a twist: players use a console to change the polarity of an electrical field in a fluid chamber filled with paramecia, which makes the organisms move in different directions. A camera sends real-time images to a computer, where they are superimposed onto a game board (see video above). By looking at the screen, a player can guide the paramecia to eat virtual yeast cells and make them avoid Pacman-like fish. A microprocessor tracks the movement of the organisms to keep score.' Also available are versions of Pinball, Pong, and soccer.

This is an interesting way to meld video games with real life, even if only extremely simple life. It will be interesting to see if these scientists find a way to do something similar with other forms of life, although hopefully not with too much higher life forms.