Over seventy years ago Isaac Asimov began writing his first robot stories he gave them positronic brains that enabled them to not only think for themselves, but to also learn from their mistakes. Robots that could think! It was a fantastic idea and it was not long before the term ‘postitronic brain’ began being used by other science fiction writers. Positronic brains were mentioned in more than one episode of Doctor Who, they also turned up in the movie i Robot, and Star Trek the Next Generation’s Mr Data also boasts a positronic brain. What began as science fiction, however, may soon become science fact because recent breakthroughs in technology may enable computers to function in a similar manner to the human brain: The Positronic Brain: Science Fiction May Become Science Fact.
