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Vision. Olfaction. Hearing. Touch. Learning. Decision making. Pattern recognition. These are all things that even simple biological organisms perform far better and more efficiently than the fastest digital computers. The scientists and engineers at the Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering (CNSE) are working to translate our understanding of biologic systems into a new class of electronic devices that imitate the ways animals sense and make sense of the world.
Our goal is to create an enabling technology useful to industry. From the beginning, we have made sure that our research is relevant to industry, and we have shared the results of our research with our industrial partners.
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last modified: 2/22/07 |
Compared
to digital devices, analog VLSI sensors that result from research at CNSE
generally have lower power requirements, are more adaptable, are more
easily miniaturized, and are lower in cost. The ultimate goal of CNSE
researchers is to enable the machines of the future to sense, interact
with, learn from, and adapt to their environment with a flexibility equivalent
to that of living creatures. 
The
Center’s work is cross-fertilized by researchers in a wide variety of
fields, including biology, electronics, fluid dynamics, optoelectronics,
chemistry, neural networks, and physiology. Although the core research
takes place at Caltech, we have close ties with investigators from other
universities and many corporations.
Because
of the tremendous strategic potential of neuromorphic devices, a diverse
and distinguished group of institutions has chosen to fund the Center's
early work. The National Science Foundation provided most of the start-up
funds. In short order, the NSF was joined by a number of companies, large
and small. Additionally, the State of California made a strong initial
contribution. In less than two years, several of the Center's research
applications have been commercialized. We look forward to extending our
research, broadening our educational activities, and deploying the results
to industry.