545 research outputs found

    Exploring the landscapes of "computing": digital, neuromorphic, unconventional -- and beyond

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    The acceleration race of digital computing technologies seems to be steering toward impasses -- technological, economical and environmental -- a condition that has spurred research efforts in alternative, "neuromorphic" (brain-like) computing technologies. Furthermore, since decades the idea of exploiting nonlinear physical phenomena "directly" for non-digital computing has been explored under names like "unconventional computing", "natural computing", "physical computing", or "in-materio computing". This has been taking place in niches which are small compared to other sectors of computer science. In this paper I stake out the grounds of how a general concept of "computing" can be developed which comprises digital, neuromorphic, unconventional and possible future "computing" paradigms. The main contribution of this paper is a wide-scope survey of existing formal conceptualizations of "computing". The survey inspects approaches rooted in three different kinds of background mathematics: discrete-symbolic formalisms, probabilistic modeling, and dynamical-systems oriented views. It turns out that different choices of background mathematics lead to decisively different understandings of what "computing" is. Across all of this diversity, a unifying coordinate system for theorizing about "computing" can be distilled. Within these coordinates I locate anchor points for a foundational formal theory of a future computing-engineering discipline that includes, but will reach beyond, digital and neuromorphic computing.Comment: An extended and carefully revised version of this manuscript has now (March 2021) been published as "Toward a generalized theory comprising digital, neuromorphic, and unconventional computing" in the new open-access journal Neuromorphic Computing and Engineerin

    Analytical Modeling of a Communication Channel Based on Subthreshold Stimulation of Neurobiological Networks

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    The emergence of wearable and implantable machines manufactured artificially or synthesized biologically opens up a new horizon for patient-centered health services such as medical treatment, health monitoring, and rehabilitation with minimized costs and maximized popularity when provided remotely via the Internet. In particular, a swarm of machines at the scale of a single cell down to the nanoscale can be deployed in the body by the non-invasive or minimally invasive operation (e.g., swallowing and injection respectively) to perform various tasks. However, an individual machine is only able to perform basic tasks so it needs to exchange data with the others and outside world through an efficient and reliable communication infrastructure to coordinate and aggregate their functionalities. We introduce in this thesis Neuronal Communication (NC) as a novel paradigm for utilizing the nervous system \emph{in vivo} as a communication medium to transmit artificial data across the body. NC features body-wide communication coverage while it demands zero investment cost on the infrastructure, does not rely on any external energy source, and exposes the body to zero electromagnetic radiation. n addition, unlike many conventional body area networking techniques, NC is able to provide communication among manufactured electronic machines and biologically engineered ones at the same time. We provide a detailed discussion of the theoretical and practical aspects of designing and implementing distinct paradigms of NC. We also discuss NC future perspectives and open challenges. Adviser: Massimiliano Pierobo

    Toward a formal theory for computing machines made out of whatever physics offers: extended version

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    Approaching limitations of digital computing technologies have spurred research in neuromorphic and other unconventional approaches to computing. Here we argue that if we want to systematically engineer computing systems that are based on unconventional physical effects, we need guidance from a formal theory that is different from the symbolic-algorithmic theory of today's computer science textbooks. We propose a general strategy for developing such a theory, and within that general view, a specific approach that we call "fluent computing". In contrast to Turing, who modeled computing processes from a top-down perspective as symbolic reasoning, we adopt the scientific paradigm of physics and model physical computing systems bottom-up by formalizing what can ultimately be measured in any physical substrate. This leads to an understanding of computing as the structuring of processes, while classical models of computing systems describe the processing of structures.Comment: 76 pages. This is an extended version of a perspective article with the same title that will appear in Nature Communications soon after this manuscript goes public on arxi

    Single Biological Neurons as Temporally Precise Spatio-Temporal Pattern Recognizers

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    This PhD thesis is focused on the central idea that single neurons in the brain should be regarded as temporally precise and highly complex spatio-temporal pattern recognizers. This is opposed to the prevalent view of biological neurons as simple and mainly spatial pattern recognizers by most neuroscientists today. In this thesis, I will attempt to demonstrate that this is an important distinction, predominantly because the above-mentioned computational properties of single neurons have far-reaching implications with respect to the various brain circuits that neurons compose, and on how information is encoded by neuronal activity in the brain. Namely, that these particular "low-level" details at the single neuron level have substantial system-wide ramifications. In the introduction we will highlight the main components that comprise a neural microcircuit that can perform useful computations and illustrate the inter-dependence of these components from a system perspective. In chapter 1 we discuss the great complexity of the spatio-temporal input-output relationship of cortical neurons that are the result of morphological structure and biophysical properties of the neuron. In chapter 2 we demonstrate that single neurons can generate temporally precise output patterns in response to specific spatio-temporal input patterns with a very simple biologically plausible learning rule. In chapter 3, we use the differentiable deep network analog of a realistic cortical neuron as a tool to approximate the gradient of the output of the neuron with respect to its input and use this capability in an attempt to teach the neuron to perform nonlinear XOR operation. In chapter 4 we expand chapter 3 to describe extension of our ideas to neuronal networks composed of many realistic biological spiking neurons that represent either small microcircuits or entire brain regions

    SPARC 2016 Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

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    Special Topics in Information Technology

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    This open access book presents thirteen outstanding doctoral dissertations in Information Technology from the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Information Technology has always been highly interdisciplinary, as many aspects have to be considered in IT systems. The doctoral studies program in IT at Politecnico di Milano emphasizes this interdisciplinary nature, which is becoming more and more important in recent technological advances, in collaborative projects, and in the education of young researchers. Accordingly, the focus of advanced research is on pursuing a rigorous approach to specific research topics starting from a broad background in various areas of Information Technology, especially Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics, Systems and Control, and Telecommunications. Each year, more than 50 PhDs graduate from the program. This book gathers the outcomes of the thirteen best theses defended in 2020-21 and selected for the IT PhD Award. Each of the authors provides a chapter summarizing his/her findings, including an introduction, description of methods, main achievements and future work on the topic. Hence, the book provides a cutting-edge overview of the latest research trends in Information Technology at Politecnico di Milano, presented in an easy-to-read format that will also appeal to non-specialists
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