Blueprint For an Artificial Brain
Researchers are using memristors, electronic microcomponents which imitate natural nerves, as key components to create a blueprint for an artificial brain.
Could a Computer on the Police Beat Prevent Violence?
New research shows how police forces might be able to target efforts to reduce violence and raise officer attention to dangerous areas with the help of high-powered computers. Using real police data, researchers were able to demonstrate the promise of computer models for targeting violent areas.
Nanomachines for Bionic Proteins
Researchers developed nanomachines which recreate principal activities of proteins. They present the first versatile and modular example of a fully artificial protein-mimetic model system.
Insect Drives Robot to Track Down Smells
In a new study, a small, two-wheeled robot was driven by a male silkmoth to track down the sex pheromone usually given off by a female mate.
IBM’s Watson to Join Research Team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer becomes the first university of receive a version of IBM’s Watson system. Rensselaer hopes to find new uses for Watson and develop its cognitive capabilities, as well as using the system for Big Data research.
Engineers Solve a Biological Mystery and Boost Artificial Intelligence
Simulating 25,000 generations of evolution within computers, researchers discover why biological networks tend to be organized as modules, a finding that will lead to a deeper understanding of the evolution of complexity.
Like a Noisy Political Campaign, “Grassroots” Neurons Wire and Fire Together for Dominance in the Brain
Researchers found that neurons team up together to sway particular outcomes in the brain and take over the nervous system in the name of their preferred action or behavior.
Robots that Perceive the World Like Humans
Researchers attempt to improve robot behavior by means of perception models closer to those of humans. One of the experiments involves a robot simulation in which an agent has to discriminate between what we could call an acne pimple and a bite or lump on the skin.
Blue Brain Project Accurately Predicts Connections Between Neurons
Proof of concept: Researchers identify principles to support brain simulation models. Blue Brain Project has identified key principles that determine synapse-scale connectivity by virtually reconstructing a cortical microcircuit and comparing it to a mammalian sample. These principles now make it possible to predict the locations of synapses in the neocortex.
Scientists Use Prosthetic Device to Restore and Improve Impaired Decision Making Ability in Animals
Scientists used an electronic prosthetic system to tap into existing circuitry in the brain at the cellular level and record the firing patterns of multiple neurons in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in decision-making. They then “played” that recording back to the same brain area to electrically stimulate decision-based neural activity. Not only did it restore function, in some cases, it also improved it.
