Artificial Synapses Promising Advancements in Human-like Computing: Study by Utrecht and Sogang University Teams

A team of researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Sogang University in South Korea have made a groundbreaking discovery by creating artificial neurological junctions known as synapses using a mixture of water and salt. This development paves the way for the advancement of computers that can perform like a human brain. The results of this study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The device created by scientists is called an Iontronic memristor, which carries water and salt inside. It is a cone-shaped device that is just 150 by 200 micrometers wide. This device remembers the amount of electrical charge that has passed through it. Electrical impulses cause ions to move through the cone-shaped channel, with variations in electrical charge leading to differences in ion movement.

Scientists often look to the human brain for inspiration when striving to develop energy-efficient and high-performance computers. Human brains use water and salt particles called ions as their medium, unlike current advanced computer systems that rely on solid materials. This study could lead to significant progress in creating an artificial human brain.

Theoretical physicist Tim Kamsma from Utrecht University believes that this advancement is critical in creating computers that can mimic the communication patterns of the human brain using the same medium. This study demonstrates that complex information processing can be achieved using water and salt, replicating neuronal behavior using a system that employs the same medium as the brain.