17 research outputs found
AER tools for Communications and Debugging
Address-event-representation (AER) is a communications protocol for transferring spikes between bio-inspired chips. Such systems may consist of a hierarchical structure with several chips that transmit spikes among them in real time, while performing some processing. To develop and test AER based systems it is convenient to have a set of instruments that would allow to: generate AER streams, monitor the output produced by neural chips and modify the spike stream produced by an emitting chip to adapt it to the requirements of the receiving elements. In this paper we present a set of tools that implement these functions developed in the CAVIAR EU projectUnión Europea IST-2001-34124 (CAVIAR)Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC-2003-08164-C03-0
Spikes Monitors for FPGAs, an Experimental Comparative Study
In this paper we present and analyze two VHDL components for
monitoring internal activity of spikes fired by silicon neurons inside FPGAs.
These spikes monitors encode each spike according to the Address-Event Representation,
sending them through a time multiplexed digital bus as discrete
events, using different strategies. In order to study and analyze their behavior
we have designed an experimental scenario, where diverse AER systems have
been used to stimulate the spikes monitors and collect the output AER events,
for later analysis. We have applied a battery of tests on both monitors in order
to measure diverse features such as maximum spike load and AER event loss
due to collisions.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-02Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2012-37868-C04-0
A USB3.0 FPGA Event-based Filtering and Tracking Framework for Dynamic Vision Sensors
Dynamic vision sensors (DVS) are frame-free sensors
with an asynchronous variable-rate output that is ideal for hard
real-time dynamic vision applications under power and latency
constraints. Post-processing of the digital sensor output can
reduce sensor noise, extract low level features, and track objects
using simple algorithms that have previously been implemented
in software. In this paper we present an FPGA-based framework
for event-based processing that allows uncorrelated-event noise
removal and real-time tracking of multiple objects, with dynamic
capabilities to adapt itself to fast or slow and large or small
objects. This framework uses a new hardware platform based on
a Lattice FPGA which filters the sensor output and which then
transmits the results through a super-speed Cypress FX3 USB
microcontroller interface to a host computer. The packets of
events and timestamps are transmitted to the host computer at
rates of 10 Mega events per second. Experimental results are
presented that demonstrate a low latency of 10us for tracking
and computing the center of mass of a detected object.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2012-37868-C04-0
From Vision Sensor to Actuators, Spike Based Robot Control through Address-Event-Representation
One field of the neuroscience is the neuroinformatic whose aim is to
develop auto-reconfigurable systems that mimic the human body and brain. In
this paper we present a neuro-inspired spike based mobile robot. From
commercial cheap vision sensors converted into spike information, through
spike filtering for object recognition, to spike based motor control models. A
two wheel mobile robot powered by DC motors can be autonomously
controlled to follow a line drown in the floor. This spike system has been
developed around the well-known Address-Event-Representation mechanism to
communicate the different neuro-inspired layers of the system. RTC lab has
developed all the components presented in this work, from the vision sensor, to
the robot platform and the FPGA based platforms for AER processing.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2006-11730-C03-02Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-0141
Live Demonstration: real time objects tracking using a bio-inspired processing cascade architecture
This demonstration shows how a new bio-inspired
processing cascade architecture is used for simultaneous
objects tracking.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-02Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-02298Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-0141
Visual Spike-based Convolution Processing with a Cellular Automata Architecture
this paper presents a first approach for
implementations which fuse the Address-Event-Representation
(AER) processing with the Cellular Automata using FPGA and
AER-tools. This new strategy applies spike-based convolution
filters inspired by Cellular Automata for AER vision
processing. Spike-based systems are neuro-inspired circuits
implementations traditionally used for sensory systems or
sensor signal processing. AER is a neuromorphic
communication protocol for transferring asynchronous events
between VLSI spike-based chips. These neuro-inspired
implementations allow developing complex, multilayer,
multichip neuromorphic systems and have been used to design
sensor chips, such as retinas and cochlea, processing chips, e.g.
filters, and learning chips. Furthermore, Cellular Automata is a
bio-inspired processing model for problem solving. This
approach divides the processing synchronous cells which
change their states at the same time in order to get the solution.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-02Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-02Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-0141
Spike Processing on an Embedded Multi-task Computer: Image Reconstruction
There is an emerging philosophy, called Neuro-informatics, contained
in the Artificial Intelligence field, that aims to emulate how living beings do tasks
such as taking a decision based on the interpretation of an image by emulating spiking
neurons into VLSI designs and, therefore, trying to re-create the human brain at
its highest level. Address-Event-Representation (AER) is a communication protocol
that has embedded part of the processing. It is intended to transfer spikes between
bioinspired chips. An AER based system may consist of a hierarchical structure with
several chips that transmit spikes among them in real-time, while performing some
processing. There are several AER tools to help to develop and test AER based systems.
These tools require the use of a computer to allow the higher level processing of
the event information, reaching very high bandwidth at the AER communication level.
We propose the use of an embedded platform based on a multi-task operating system
to allow both, the AER communication and processing without the requirement of either
a laptop or a computer. In this paper, we present and study the performance of a
new philosophy of a frame-grabber AER tool based on a multi-task environment. This
embedded platform is based on the Intel XScale processor which is governed by an
embedded GNU/Linux system. We have connected and programmed it for processing
Address-Event information from a spiking generator.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-0
Fully Digital AER Convolution Chip for Vision Processing
We present a neuromorphic fully digital convolution
microchip for Address Event Representation (AER)
spike-based processing systems. This microchip computes
2-D convolutions with a programmable kernel in
real time. It operates on a pixel array of size 32 x 32, and
the kernel is programmable and can be of arbitrary shape
and size up to 32 x 32 pixels. The chip receives and generates
data in AER format, which is asynchronous and
digital. The paper describes the architecture of the chip,
the test setup, and experimental results obtained from a
fabricated prototype.European Union IST-2001-34124 (CAVIAR)Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC-2003-08164-C03-01Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-01Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-0141
Real time multiple objects tracking based on a bioinspired processing cascade architecture
This paper presents a cascade architecture for bio-inspired information processing. We use AER (Address Event Representation) for transmitting and processing visual information provided by an asynchronous temporal contrast silicon retina. Using this architecture, we also present a multiple objects tracking algorithm; this algorithm is described in VHDL and implemented in a FPGA (Spartan II), which is part of the USB-AER platform developed by some of the authors.Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-02298Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-02Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-0141
Red neuronal convolucional rápida sin fotogramas para reconocimientos de dígitos
Comunicación presentada al "XXVI Simposio de la URSI" celebrado en Leganés (España) del 7 al 9 de Septiembre del 2011.In this paper a bio-inspired six-layer convolutional
network (ConvNet) non-frame based for digit recognition is
shown. The system has been trained with the backpropagation
algorithm using 32x32 images from the MNIST database. The
system can be implemented with already physically available
spike-based electronic devices. 10000 images have been coded
into events separated 50ns to test the non-frame based ConvNet
system. The simulation results have been obtained using actual
performance figures for existing AER (Address Event
Representation) hardware components. We provide simulation
results of the system showing recognition delays of a few
microseconds from stimulus onset with a recognition rate of
93%. The complete system consists of 30 convolution modules.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (VULCANO) TEC2009-10639-C04-01Andalucía (Brain System) P06-TIC-0141