Reservoir computing devices are predicted as the next-generation artificial intelligence. Scientists developing neuromorphic chips (silicon based chips that mimic brain structure) has, up to now, not been able to replicate the action of nerve impulses (spikes) to mimic the human brain.
Under the leadership of Megumi Akai-Kasaya, a group of researchers from Kyushu Institute of Technology and Osaka University discovered polyoxometalate (POM) molecule properties. These POM molecules when absorbed by single-walled carbon nanotubes, produces negative differential resistance. It is this “negative differential resistance” that mimics the nerve impulse spikes of the human brain.
The researchers went a step further and created an extremely dense and networked random group of POM molecules and single-walled carbon nanotubes, effectively creating a nano molecular brain.
Reported from phys.org : “The significance of our study is that a portion of brain function was replicated by nano-molecular materials. We demonstrated the possibility that the random molecular network itself can become neuromorphic AI,” says lead author Hirofumi Tanaka.
Read more here:
https://phys.org/news/2018-07-brain-function-partly-replicated-nanomaterials.html