New Magnetic Material Emulates Synapses of Neuron, Mimics How Information is Stored in the Brain

Researchers recently developed a magnetic material that emulates how the brain stores information, Phys.org reported. The team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) built this material using neuromorphic computing, which is a type of computation that uses artificial neurons to mimic the behavior of the brain and synaptic functions.

According to the study titled "Frequency-dependent Stimulated and Post-stimulated Voltage Control of Magnetism in Transition Metal Nitrides: Towards Brain-inspired Magneto-ionics" published in the journal Materials Horizons, the magnetic material emulates how synapses of neurons work, which allows it to mimic learning while in deep sleep.

What Is Neuromorphic Computing?

According to Human Brain Project, neuromorphic computing is a computing concept that uses artificial intelligence to copy the behavior of the brain and communication signals of the brain. It implements aspects of biological neural networks as analog or digital copies on electronic circuits.

Neuromorphic computing's goal is to offer a tool for neuroscience to understand the dynamic processes of how the brain learns and develops and apply brain inspiration to generic cognitive computing. Compared to traditional approaches, neuromorphic computing is more energy efficient, faster in execution, robust, and able to learn new things.

Some examples of the benefits of neuromorphic computing are starting to emerge and more is expected in the short to medium term as various start-ups are emerging around the globe to exploit its advantages and similar technologies in machine learning domains.

Today, neuromorphic technologies deliver a range of applications more efficiently than conventional computers to deliver image recognition in smartphones. Meanwhile, others use the technology to integrate energy-efficient intelligent cognitive functions into a wide range of consumer and business products, like driverless cars and domestic robots.

Controlling Magnetism To Create Material With Brain-Inspired Functions

Neuromorphic computing targets all researchers from multiple fields, such as computational neuroscience and machine learning. In the study, Interesting Engineering reports that researchers proposed a novel way of controlling magnetism in the stimulated and post-stimulus states of brain functioning.

The team used a thin layer of cobalt mononitride (CoN) to create the magnetic material so that they could control the buildup of nitrogen ions at the line between the layer and the liquid electrolyte could be controlled when electricity is applied. Research professor Jordi Sort explained that the new material works with the movement of ions, which are controlled by electrical voltage.

Researchers added that they have created an artificial synapse that may be the basis of a new computing paradigm. More so, they discovered that the material has brain-like functions that copy how memory and information processing is done without applying voltage.

The new material opens a whole range of neuromorphic computing functions that creates efficiency in perception, learning, and memory. An example of this is the possibility of mimicking neural learning that no other existing neuromorphic material has achieved yet.

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