Can bioengineering immitate the analog to digital conversion performed by our inner ear?
How do organs such as the inner ear deal with the imprecision of analog computing?

Fly like a Fly

If analog computing is so marvelously efficient, why is almost every electronic system you come accross digital?
Do brain cells share interesting characteristics with subthreshold transistors and how can it be effectively used?
By Rahul Sarpeshkar, IEEE’s Spectrum Issue May 2006


The article follows the author’s walkthrough in the developement of the “analog bionic ear”, in his lab. The author also discusses the current challenges in neuromorphic engineering.
Do neuromorphic researchers have so far only picked biology’s low handing fruit?
Read the full article at IEEE’s SPECTRUM Online
or visit IEEE’s SPECTRUM home page
Rahul Sarpeshkar is an associate professor in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he heads the Analog VLSI and Biological Systems lab.

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