Grundbrakkin Vision System Mimmicks Brain tae Cut E-Waste

A new energy-efficient artificial vision system, inspired by the human brain an pairtly made fae hinny, promises tae lessen e burden o electronic waste. Engineers fae the University o Glesga, in collaboration wi researchers fae São Paulo State University an Hong Kong Metropolitan University, hae crafted a system aat employs organic, biodegradable, an recyclable materials. Iss innovative design allous e system tae ‘see’ an ‘mind’ colours fyle consumin minimal pouer.

E device, kent as an Electrolyte-Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistor (EGOFET), integrates three essential functions: sensin licht, processin information, an storin it in memory. Remerkably, it retains information even fan pouered aff, shawcasin a feature criedd non-volatility. Iss capability cuid mak it pairticularly effective for real-warld eeses, sic as in autonomous drones or smairt security systems.

E EGOFET improves upon previous artificial vision systems aat relied on silicon-based CMOS sensors, aat demand substantial computin pouer an energy. Theodoros Serghiou, fae the University o Glesga’s James Watt School o Engineerin, led e development. He explained, “In conventional computin, there’s an inherent latency fae haein tae fetch an transfer data in CMOS-based systems due tae the physical separation atween e processin an memory units. Oor new memory-based device, fooanivver, performs these functions simultaneously in-memory, similar tae foo synapses in e human brain wark.”

E team biggit their prototype on a glass substrate eesin gowd electrodes, a layer o organic, photosensitive perylene, an hinny as an electrolyte. Iss setup allous e system tae act as a photodetector, producin current spikes aat vary wi different licht wavelengths an intensities. E EGOFET staunds oot for its energy efficiency, requirin ainly 2.4 picojoules o energy per spikin event, makkin it een o the maist efficient devices o its kin.

Professor Jeff Kettle, e paper’s correspondin author, noted, “Oor device is able tae emulate key synaptic behaviors sic as short-term an lang-term plasticity wi heich fidelity.” E research has implications ayont artificial vision, extendin intil sustainable neuromorphic computin an energy-efficient electronics. E team plans tae scale the prototype intae arrays for better image recognition, pavin e wey for eco-friendly artificial vision systems.

Eence the device raxes e eyn o its eesefu life, e glass an gowd components can be recycled, fyle the organic pairts will biodegrade naiturally. E research, cryed ‘Sustainable an Tunable Synaptic Electrolyte-Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistors (EGOFETs) for Licht Adaptive Visual Perceptive Systems,’ is published in Advanced Functional Materials. It received support fae the UKRI Responsible Electronics an Circular Technology Centre an e São Paulo Research Foundation in Brazil.