Building on their previous groundbreaking work using protein nanowires synthesized from electricity-generating bacteria, the team’s discovery means that we could see immensely efficient computers along bio-inspired, and far more efficient principles, to wearable devices that communicate seamlessly with the body.
While electrical and computer engineers have long been interested in using artificial neurons as the circuitry for more efficient computers, the problem has always been how to keep their voltage low enough. “Previous versions of artificial neurons used 10 times more voltage—and 100 times more power—than the one we have created,” says Jun Yao, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and an IALS translational cohire. That means that previous attempts at creating artificial neurons weren’t all that efficient, nor could they plug directly into living neurons, which would be frightened by the increased amplitude.