A team of scientists led by Myung-Jay Lee of the Intelligent Devices and Systems Research Group at DGIST has developed an artificial synaptic device that mimics the function of nerve cells (neurons) and synapses responsible for memory in the human brain. Synapses are the meeting points of axons and dendrites that allow neurons in the human brain to send and receive nerve signals; it is known that there are hundreds of trillions of synapses in the human brain.
Dr. Lee's group has developed a highly reliable artificial synaptic device by laying out tantalum oxide, a rare metal, in two layers of Ta2O5-x and TaO2-x and manipulating its surface.
Artificial synapses: the path to an artificial brain
The artificial synapse, developed by scientists, is an electrical device that mimics the function of synapses in the brain as the resistance in the tantalum oxide layer gradually increases or decreases depending on the strength of the electrical signals. They managed to overcome the limitations of existing devices by distributing the current in a single Ta2O5-x layer.
Scientists also managed to conduct an experiment in which the plasticity of the synapse was reproduced - in fact, the process of creating, storing and removing memories by long-term strengthening or suppression of memory by adjusting the synapse connection between neurons.
The device developed by scientists can be used in devices with ultra-low power consumption or circuits for processing massive amounts of data due to the parallel processing capabilities at low power. This will come in handy in such areas of technology as artificial intelligence, machine and deep learning, and brain implants.
Ilya Khel
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