Robohub.org
 

Self-organized criticality in the brain | Quanta


by
06 April 2014



share this:

“Think of sand running from the top of an hourglass to the bottom. Grain by grain, the sand accumulates. Eventually, the growing pile reaches a point where it is so unstable that the next grain to fall may cause it to collapse in an avalanche. When a collapse occurs, the base widens, and the sand starts to pile up again — until the mound once again hits the critical point and founders. It is through this series of avalanches of various sizes that the sand pile — a complex system of millions of tiny elements — maintains overall stability.”

John Payne‘s insight:

Anyone even casually familiar with systems theory will recognize the terms in which this notion is described. To the extent that it holds true for the workings of the human brain, one may expect that it will also prove useful in the development of strong AI.

See on www.simonsfoundation.org




John Payne

            AUAI is supported by:



Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack



Related posts :

Robot Talk Episode 170 – Robots in the real world, with Daniela Shchegelskaya

  13 Nov 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Daniela Shchegelskaya from the University of Twente about getting robots to operate reliably in safety-critical environments.

AI100 report released: embodied AI highlighted as grand challenge

  11 Nov 2026
Embodied AI is listed as one of the most inspiring open grand challenges.

AIhub coffee corner: Are humanoids the future of embodied AI?

  09 Nov 2026
The AIhub coffee corner captures the musings of AI experts over a short conversation.

Robot Talk Episode 169 – Robot sensing inspired by nature, with Dexter Shepherd

  06 Nov 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Dexter Shepherd from the University of Sussex about using artificial intelligence to help robots understand and adapt to their environment.

Robots in society, business and culture: October 2026

We showcase a selection of robotics stories from society, business, research and culture.

Muscle coordination can be mimicked by electric motors – it could lead to improved robots

  02 Nov 2026
Researchers built a physical model using ordinary electric motors to try and simulate how muscles may perform tasks.

Robot Talk Episode 168 – Advancing robotics with novel electronics, with Zlatka Stoeva

  30 Oct 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Zlatka Stoeva from DZP Technologies about flexible, stretchable and soft printed electronics for dexterous robots.

Competing in RoboCup@Home and winning the 2026 best paper award: an interview with Raphael Memmesheimer

and   28 Oct 2026
Hear more about Raphael's research and his involvement in the RoboCup@Home league.


↑


AUAI is supported by:







Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack




 















©2026.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence