A Nigerian neuroscientist, Oshiorenoya Agabi has revealed a computer replicating computational power neurons in our brain by including neurons in a silicon chip and make a new form of biological processor is now a possibility. The San Francisco based start-up Koniku, claims to be the world’s first nuerocomputation company has invented an artificial intelligence that can literally sniff out bombs in the vicinity.
He revealed his device at the annual TEDGlobal conference in Arusha, Tanzania this past week. His 10-person, Silicon Valley-based Company instead of creating a neural network by simulating the human brain’s interconnections of neurons, took lab-grown neurons and fused them with electronic circuitry.
He says that simulating the processing power of a collection of just 204 neurons would require a supercomputer. “Instead of copying a neuron, why not just take the biological cell itself and use it as it is? That thought is radical. The consequence of this is mind-boggling.” The device that Agabi’s startup developed, Koniku Kore, deals particularly with detecting volatile chemicals and explosives, the first device of its kind in the world.
Silicon chips are very good at handling complex mathematical equations, but training them to recognise smells would take huge amounts of computational power. Instead, the lab-grown neurons are just given instructions to provide an olfactory receptor - in this case to detect explosives - while the electronics can then process the incoming data.
Agabi says the device can live on a desk and be used discreetly, possibly eliminating the queues at security checkpoints in future. The neurons inside the device can currently be kept alive for two months, which means mass producing them is still not a feasible option.
However, the technology itself is incredibly exciting, and our first glimpse into a future where organic and synthetic systems combine to improve their individual capabilities.
