Insect-Brain inspired Neuromorphic Nanophotonics

Introduction

We propose nanophotonic on-chip devices for integrated sensing and neural computation, inspired by the insect brain. This will uniquely combine four lines of research:

1. Progress in understanding insect neurobiology that provides proven circuit designs to solve significant problems such as autonomous navigation.
2. Advanced III-V semiconductor nanowire technology that exploits light to obtain a large number of interconnects with extremely low power consumption.
3. Optically efficient stable molecular dyes that can be used for novel memory components.
4. Circuit technology developed for quantum computing.

Proof of Concept

As proof of concept, we target the complete pathway from polarised light sensing in the insect eye to the internal compass and memory circuits by which this information is integrated in a continuous accurate estimate of location.

Implementation

Building on verified models, we will first demonstrate that the computational principles can be implemented using overlapping light signals in a nanoscale system, with high error tolerance and orders of magnitude better energy and spatial footprint than present technologies.

Neuromorphic Memory Functionalities

We will then explore neuromorphic memory functionalities from nanoelectronics and molecular dyes, in parallel with a deeper investigation of the memory substrates in the insect brain.

Integrated Sensor Development

The same nanostructures used for computing can be used for optical sensing, and we will develop an integrated sensor and information processing array to extract global orientation information from polarised skylight.

Outcomes and Applications

The direct outcome will be an energy-efficient, robust chip enabling autonomous vehicle navigation without GPS, with many potential applications.

Future Directions

More importantly, the novel neural components we will develop can then be re-assembled into a wide spectrum of circuits to mimic other computations in the insect brain. The technology platform can be integrated with silicon technology, and we will demonstrate the pathway to upscaling and commercialization.