Industryweek 4857 Brain 1

Scientists Make Microchips that Mimic the Brain

July 24, 2013
The technology could over time become a useful tool, allowing robots to "navigate autonomously in an environment and survive without someone with a remote control."

Researchers in Switzerland say they have made microchips that imitate the way our brains process information, unlocking some of the mystery around how the world's most-efficient computer functions.

Scientists at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, together with colleagues in Germany and the United States, created electronic systems comparable to a human brain both in size, speed and energy consumption, the university said in a statement.

Just like the brain, their so-called neuromorphic chips are capable of processing and reacting to information in real-time, it said.

"The challenge is to build something as close as possible to an actual brain," Giacomo Indiveri, a University of Zurich professor of Neuroinformatics and one of the researchers on the project, told AFP.

Electronic systems in the past have been designed to react to their environments, as with blinds that automatically close when sunlight hits them.

But, said Indiveri, the new project takes things further.

Using neuromorphic chips as artificial neurons, the researchers built networks that can perform tasks requiring short-term memory and decision-making and analytical abilities, Indiveri said.

The technology could over time become a useful tool, allowing robots to "navigate autonomously in an environment and survive without someone with a remote control," he said, adding that the chips might also help make smart phones even smarter.

The chips could also one day pave the way for computers that can function despite faulty parts, in the same way the human brain continues to churn unabated even though it loses around a million neurons each day.

The findings are published in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

The Benefits of Continuous Thermal Monitoring

Oct. 17, 2023
Read this eBook to learn more about collecting and using data intelligently to improve performance.

Legacy Phone Lines Are Draining Your Profits

Oct. 30, 2023
Copper wire phone line expenses that support emergency devices could be costing your company millions of dollars in wasteful overhead expenses. Rates have been skyrocketing while...

You Cannot Stay Competitive by Bolting New Technologies to a Legacy ERP

Oct. 20, 2023
Read this white paper to understand the benefits of shifting to a next-generation ERP system as part of a DOP.

What Is Your Smart Factory IQ?

Sept. 24, 2023
It’s time to put Smart, data-driven manufacturing operations to the test. In this comprehensive whitepaper we show you how to determine the Artificial Intelligence Quotient (AIQ...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!