Posted on 04/15/2010 8:50:25 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Washington, DC: A cat can recognize a face faster than a supercomputer. And that's one of the reasons why a feline brain is the model for a biologically inspired computer project involving the University of Michigan.
U-M computer engineer Wei Lu has taken a step toward developing this revolutionary type of machine that could be capable of learning and recognizing, as well as making more complex decisions and performing more tasks simultaneously than conventional computers can.
Lu previously built a "memristor," a device that replaces a traditional transistor and acts like a biological synapse, remembering past voltages it was subjected to. Now, he has demonstrated that this memristor can connect conventional circuits and support a process that is the basis for memory and learning in biological systems.
A paper on the research is published online in Nano Letters and is scheduled to appear in the forthcoming April edition of the journal.
"We are building a computer in the same way that nature builds a brain," said Lu, an assistant professor in the U-M Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. "The idea is to use a completely different paradigm compared to conventional computers. The cat brain sets a realistic goal because it is much simpler than a human brain but still extremely difficult to replicate in complexity and efficiency."
Most sophisticated supercomputers in today's time can accomplish certain tasks with the brain functionality of a cat, but it's a massive machine with more than 140,000 central processing units and a dedicated power supply. And it still performs 83 times slower than a cat's brain, Lu wrote in his paper.
I just love scientists that say crap like “how simple a cat’s brain is” yet the machines they put together can’t even process a face as fast. And they’re massive in size and energy consumption compared to the cat brain, which also does a whole host of other functions while recognizing the face 83 times faster. The cat’s brain is also highly portable. Try building a cat brain from scratch and see how simple it is. It’s a hell of a lot more complicated than their machine.
“On the negative side, it’s just not emotionally satisfying to cuddle with a computer the way it is with a cat.”
Depends on whether you like cats. Me, I prefer a computer :)
Go-Captains and Pinlighters...
I envy those who have not yet read about the lyrical worlds of Cordwainer Smith.
Why would a cat be able to recognize a supercomputer?
--Cordwainer Smith, "The Game of Rat and Dragon"
That is one of my favorite stories ever.
I was introduced to it in, of all places, a college English class.
Reminds me of this:
One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.
The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go on and get lost.”
God listened very patiently and kindly to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, “Very well, how about this, let’s say we have a man making contest.” To which the scientist replied, “OK, great!”
But God added, “Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam.”
The scientist said, “Sure, no problem” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.
God just looked at him and said, “No, no, no. You go get your own dirt!”
Just my thought!
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