First Experimental Proof for Brain-Like Computer With Water and Salt

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Theoretical physicists at Utrecht University, together with experimental physicists at Sogang University in South Korea, have succeeded in building an artificial synapse. This synapse works with water and salt and provides the first evidence that a system using the same medium as our brains can process complex information.

The results appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the pursuit of enhancing the energy efficiency of conventional computers, scientists have long turned to the human brain for inspiration. They aim to emulate its extraordinary capacity in various ways.

These efforts have led to the development of brain-like computers, which diverge from traditional binary processing to embrace analog methods akin to our brains. However, while our brains operate using water and dissolved salt particles called ions as their medium, most current brain-inspired computers rely on conventional solid materials.

This raises the question: Could we not achieve a more faithful replication of the brain's workings by adopting the same medium? This intriguing possibility lies at the heart of the burgeoning field of iontronic neuromorphic computing.

In the latest study published in PNAS, scientists have, for the very first time, demonstrated a system reliant on water and salt exhibiting the ability to process intricate information, mirroring the functionality of our brains. Central to this discovery is a minute device measuring 150 by 200 micrometers, which mimics the behavior of a synapse-an essential component in the brain responsible for transmitting signals between neurons.

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