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Scientists One Step Closer to a Bionic Brain

| May 12, 2015 Comment

Scientists One Step Closer to a Bionic Brain – A groundbreaking electronic long-term memory cell could help researchers imitate and better understand the complexities of the human brain.

Built by scientists at the MicroNano Research Facility at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, the nano memory cell — 10,000 times thinner than a human hair — mimics long-term human memory and the brain’s capacity for storing and processing strands of information.

Hussein Nili, lead author of the study, told Mashable Australia the cell is a significant advancement. Currently, only a single digit can be stored in most electronic memory cells — either a one or zero. He said, “The kind of memory we have designed … allows you to store in a single memory cell, not just one number, but a large range of numbers.”

This means RMIT’s nano memory cell can process information in real-time, mimicking the way a brain computes information.

Nili suggested, “If you compare a normal memory cell that we have today to a light switch that you can only turn on and off. This is more like a dimmer.” Nili says that this cell could have great implications for treating brain-related diseases. For instance, the cell could help researchers create a bionic brain outside the human body to help fight against neurological disease like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

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