Nanoswitches can mimic human memory claim researchers
1 min read
Research into atomic nanoswitches has revealed that inorganic synapses can emulate the human brain, paving the way for a better understanding of biological neural networks and aiding developments in artificial intelligence.
Currently, the complex and interconnected nature of thought processes make neural behaviour difficult to reproduce in artificial structures without software programming. Now, teams from the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectronics (MANA), Japan and the University of California demonstrated for the first time the key features in the neuroscience and psychology of memory by a AgS2 synapse.
The researchers observed a temporary higher conductance state in the AgS2 following an incident electric pulse. Repetition of the input pulse over 2s intervals led to permanently higher conductance; the two responses mimicking the short term plasticity and long term potentiality in biological synapses.
In humans, new information is stored briefly as a sensory memory, while rehearsal converts short term memory to long term; which is known as the 'multistore' model of memory. When the researchers demonstrated memorisation of the numbers 1 and 2 in a 7 x 7 inorganic synapse array, the behaviour of the artificial synapse indicated multistore memory rather than a conventional switch.
According to the researchers, the data indicates that a psychological memory model may be applied simultaneously with the emulation of biological synaptic like behaviour.
