Blog: Cat Brain: A Step Toward the Electronic Equivalent

Cat Brain: A Step Toward the Electronic Equivalent
University of Michigan News Service (04/14/10) Moore, Nicole Casal

University of Michigan (UM) computer engineer Wei Lu has developed a memristor that can connect to conventional circuits and support a process that is the basis for memory and learning in biological systems. "We are building a computer in the same way that nature builds a brain," Lu says. Today's most advanced supercomputer can accomplish certain tasks with the brain functionality of a cat, but it is 83 times slower than a cat's brain, according to Lu. So far, Lu has connected two electronic circuits with one memristor, demonstrating that the system is capable of a memory and learning process called spike timing dependent plasticity, which refers to the ability of connections between neurons to become stronger based on when they are stimulated in relation to each other. Spike timing dependent plasticity is thought to be the basis for memory and learning in mammalian brains. The next step is to build a larger system, Lu says. The goal is to achieve the sophistication of a supercomputer in a machine the size of a two-liter soda bottle.

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