Researchers
in Switzerland say they have made microchips that is capable of mimicking 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
late Monday.
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
smartphones even smarter.
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