Summary of Smart chip mimics human brain functions
HRL Laboratories tested a prototype neuromorphic chip with 576 silicon neurons aboard a 6×6×1.5 inch, 93 g drone. Funded by DARPA and built by AeroVironment, the drone flew between three rooms using optical, ultrasound, and infrared sensors. The chip produced unique neural activity patterns for each room, signaled when a space was new, and modified neuron connections to recognize rooms on subsequent visits, demonstrating a crude form of learning mimicking brain function.
Parts used in the HRL neuromorphic drone project:
- Prototype neuromorphic chip with 576 silicon neurons
- Tiny drone airframe (6×6×1.5 inches, 93 grams)
- Optical sensors
- Ultrasound sensors
- Infrared sensors
- Onboard data processing system to run the chip
- AeroVironment custom-built drone components
- Funding and project support from DARPA
HRL Laboratories, based in Malibu, CA, recently tested a prototype neuromorphic chip with 576 silicon neurons aboard a tiny drone measuring 6×6×1.5 inches and weighing 93 grams. The project was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The drone, custom built for the test by AeroVironment of Monrovia, CA, flew between three separate rooms. The aircraft was able to process data from its optical, ultrasound, and infrared sensors and recognize when it was in a new or familiar room.
Tim Simonite, of MIT Technology Review, reports that the first time the drone was flown into each room, “the unique pattern of incoming sensor data from the walls, furniture, and other objects caused a pattern of electrical activity in the neurons that the chip had never experienced before. That triggered it to report that it was in a new space, and also caused the ways its neurons connected to one another to change, in a crude mimic of learning in a real brain. Those changes meant that next time the craft entered the same room, it recognized it and signaled as such.”
For more detail: Smart chip mimics human brain functions
- What was the size and weight of the drone used in the test?
The drone measured 6×6×1.5 inches and weighed 93 grams. - How many silicon neurons did the neuromorphic chip have?
The prototype neuromorphic chip contained 576 silicon neurons. - Which organization funded the project?
The project was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA. - Who built the custom drone used for the test?
The drone was custom built by AeroVironment of Monrovia CA. - What sensors did the drone use to perceive rooms?
The drone processed data from optical ultrasound and infrared sensors. - How did the chip indicate a new room?
Unique patterns of incoming sensor data caused neural activity the chip had never experienced before which triggered it to report a new space. - Did the chip demonstrate any form of learning?
Yes the neural connections changed after first exposure so the chip recognized the same room on subsequent visits demonstrating a crude mimic of learning. - How many rooms did the drone fly between during the test?
The drone flew between three separate rooms.
