‘Neuristor’: memristors used to create neuron-like behavior
December 27, 2012
A cartoon showing spikes of activity traveling among neurons (credit: UC Berkeley)
HP Labs researchers may have figured out a way to create a chip that generates neuron-like spikes (sharp signal pulses), using a combination of memristors and capacitors to create a spiking output pattern, Ars Technica reports.
Neurons encode information in the pattern and timing of spikes. The researchers used a simplified model of neurons based on sodium-potassium ion channels to turn the neuron on and off.
Each unit consists of a capacitor (to allow it to build up charge) in parallel to a memristor (which allows the charge to be released suddenly. The combination produces spikes of activity as soon as a given voltage threshold is exceeded.
The authors have termed this device a “neuristor.”
Comments (10)
by Paccana
I wonder what uses this neuron could be uses for. People with ms?
by Aaron Wright
Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn’t it be much easier to do this programmatically, rather than with new hardware? It seems to me like writing code that does this would be far simpler. You could create one “neuron”, then write a script that duplicates it as many times as you want and glues them all together. At that point, you could run it on any computer (assuming you had the computing power, of course). Am I missing something?
by Aaron
You already gave the reason right there in your question: “(assuming you had the computing power, of course)” Simulation would be thousands of times slower, I’m sure, but it has already been done. Try googling Artificial Neural Networks.
by Wholewitt
Neuristor is a good term but once a whole “brain” is made it must be called a Positronic mind. We owe Asimov that much.
by GAUSS
Building blocks for an electronic brain – a dream revived from the 50s. Can’t wait until memristors become widely available.
by asiwel
I thought memristors were already widely available. In fact, here is an interesting website about memristor applications.
http://www.memristor.org/reference/294/memristive-memristor-applications
Apparently, however, HP is delaying the widespread application availability of their memristor technology until 2014 so as not to compete with flash memory ….
http://www.techspot.com/news/49368-hp-pushing-back-memristor-technology-debut-until-at-least-2014.html
by Editor
I’m not sure if memristors are commercially available but I’ll check. Thanks for the link. This development focuses on using them in an “R-C” circuit to shape the spiking pulse.
by GAUSS
Ideally hobbyists would be able to prototype chip designs with them.
The tech had been around since at least as early as 2003, possibly even 2001 by some accounts. Of course it’s been held up; there were still billions of dollars to be made on the current standard. Why would anyone give that up?
by Dirk Bruere
If that is true about delaying the introduction, they are foolish, because someone else will. An old saying: “It’s better to shoot yourself in the foot rather than have a competitor shoot you in the head”
by PirateRo
I can’t wait until they try to take over.
Then, we’ll have to make another brain to fight the first one and we can do rock’em sock’em robots for real!
Quick! Somebody make popcorn!!!!