Communications of the ACM
Human Brains Emulated in the Computer World
Lulea University of Technology researchers have developed a computer-based architecture that mimics human brain functions and could lead to systems capable of detecting and compensating for their own shortcomings or reducing the impact of noise.
The new architecture consists of three modules representing different senses. One of the models mimics a part of the brain that handles visual information, and another models the part of the brain that deals with auditory information. A third system also was developed to combine the first two. The objective is to use results from tests on how the brain combines information, such as sight and hearing, and use those results in engineering applications. "We have a model, that in important respects, has the same behavior that is measured by researchers that are investigating the nervous system," says Lulea researcher Tamas Jantvik.
A significant finding of the research is the qualitative improvement that can be done in a sensory impression at the input of an additional signal through a different sensory. For example, when the libretto is displayed above the stage during an opera, not only is it easier to understand the opera but it is easier to actually hear what is being sung. The research also could be used to reduce noise that interferes with various kinds of signals and systems that automatically adjust their information processing, and as well as to systems that can autonomously determine what information is the most important and will work the best.
From Lulea University of Technology (Sweden)
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