Artificial Brain Synapses Replicated in a Chip

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
> Date: February 3, 2018 at 6:05:38 AM EST
> To: Multiple recipients of Dewayne-Net <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
> Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Artificial Brain Synapses Replicated in a Chip
> Reply-To: dewayne-net () warpspeed com
>
> [Note:  This item comes from friend Steve Goldstein.  DLH]
>
> Artificial Brain Synapses Replicated in a Chip
> Feb 1 2018
> <https://www.medgadget.com/2018/02/artificial-brain-synapses-replicated-chip.html>
>
> Our brains mainly consist of brain cells and the connections between them, making them quite modular and incredibly 
> adaptable.
>
> Brain synapses, the connections between neurons, seem to be responsible for at least some of the computational magic 
> that allows us to think, move, and respond to all sorts of stimuli. Being able to replicate the functionality of 
> synapses may allow us to simulate the brain’s activities, and therefore to study its behavior in a very hands-on way.
>
> Researchers National Institute of Standards and Technology have done just that by creating functionally equivalent 
> artificial synapses inside an electronic chip. They’re made of superconducting niobium electrodes separated by a 
> manganese-silicon insulator. To pass through the insulator, the electric signals have to achieve a certain current 
> threshold. But, this level can change with repeated electrical probing thanks to magnetic nanoparticles embedded into 
> the insulator. Repeatedly sending signals with a lower level of current, the magnetic nanoparticles align more and 
> more after each turn, meaning that the synapse eventually learns to pass the signals at that lower level.
>
> This is essentially how a real synapse works and eventually connecting thousands, or millions, of these synapses in 
> different configurations may allow researchers to mimic advanced brain activities. Maybe one day this will be a way 
> to build a true artificial intelligence system, but we really hope it will be used to understand many brain diseases 
> and conditions that are currently poorly understood.
>
> Here’s a short NIST video about the artificial synapse technology:
>
> [snip]
>
> Dewayne-Net RSS Feed: http://dewaynenet.wordpress.com/feed/
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/wa8dzp



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