Artificial Neurotransmitter Inspired by the Human Brain

Innovation: Academia

Dresden University of Technology

2020

Image: ZEISS Microscopy / Flickr / CC BY - Creative Commons Attribution alone

Send Electrical/Magnetic Signals

Some living systems send electric or magnetic signals, often as a way of communicating with other living systems or sensing their environment. Electric and magnetic signaling requires specialized organs, and thus appear to be less common than other types of signals, such as audible and visual ones. Electric fish produce very sophisticated electric signals that not only help them find mates, but are also sensitive enough to enable them to distinguish individual fish.

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Learn

Living systems obtain information from their environment and use it to find mates and resources, and to escape threats. Some reactions to gathered information are instinctual or innate behaviors, not based on previous experiences. But other reactions are based on previous experiences, which means that, at some level, the living system is learning. Learning can involve a living system passing information to another living system, or a living system obtaining information and using it in a feedback loop. That information can include knowledge, experience, behavior, and skills. Learning takes place when information that is new to the recipient is used to modify existing behavior or skills. The making and use of tools by some species of birds and mammals is a learned behavior. If a chimpanzee uses a stick to successfully get ants out of an ant mound and continues to do so, it has learned that behavior. If another chimpanzee observes this technique and replicates it, it has learned from the first chimp.

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Compute

Computation allows an organism to take in and process information to make decisions. Whether it be calculating how fast prey is moving or deciding where to build a nest, computation is an important part of an organism’s life.

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Encode/Decode

Organisms are constantly taking in new information, processing it, and storing that information as memories. Sensory information and stimuli such as sounds, smell, time, and spatial organization are encoded along with our memories. Whether we’re learning a new skill or repeating a task we’ve done before, we can easily call upon and decode that information when we need it.

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Transduce/Convert Signals

Sometimes a signal, such as sound or vibration, reaches a living system and needs to be converted into a different, usable form. This requires converting from one type of energy form to another. For example, organisms with eyes have photoreceptors at the back of the eyes that convert light into electrical pulses. These pulses travel to the brain and allows it to register color, shape, and detail.

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Neurotransmitter from Dresden University of Technology uses a sol-gel silicate film which encourages greater movement of artificial neurons to transmit information.

Benefits

Increased efficiency
Dynamic
Adaptable

Applications

Artificial intelligence
Robotics
Medicine

The Challenge

Typically, the performance of microelectronics is dictated by the size and processing capacity of the device. To enhance the performance, component sizes are reduced, but the machine is still able to process information at the same rate. Within these machines, the storage and processing of information occurs in two different components. These separate components are pre-programmed, slow and unable to learn, change, or improve on their own.

Innovation Details

The neurotransistor uses a field-effect transistor to process information. This transistor uses an electric field to control the flow of current. Within the transistor there is a viscous substance called sol-gel. The sol-gel coats a part of the circuit called the silicon wafer, which forms a porous ceramic. When the transistor is excited, the holes in the porous material function as paths for information to move within. The more excitement, the sooner the transistor will open for flow, strengthening the transfer of information. The plasticity of this set-up allows the transistor to learn, adapt, and change tasks during operation, similar to neurons in the brain.

Biological Model

Neurons aid organisms in reacting to environmental stimuli because they collaborate to sense the environment, share information, and filter unimportant information. Neuronal signaling occurs throughout the brain in multiple directions, optimizing the transfer of information.

See Related Strategy

a black background with brightly colored glowing neurons and other cells in the cortex of a mouse brain

Biological Strategy

Sensing and Sharing Information

Humans

Neurons aid organisms in reacting to environmental stimuli because they collaborate to sense the environment, share information, and filter unimportant information

References

Journal article

Intrinsic plasticity of silicon nanowire neurotransistors for dynamic memory and learning functions

Nature Electronics

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