Scientists First Create Artificial Synapse Using Water And Salt
An international team of physicists from the Netherlands and South Korea have for the first time created an artificial synapse that transmits information in the same way as the human brain. The study was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The presented element is based on an iontronic memristor, as the researchers called it. The prototype measures 150 × 200 µm, which is several orders of magnitude larger than the size of a living synapse. The artificial synapse is a cone-shaped ion channel containing an aqueous solution of potassium chloride. An electric current passing through such an element causes ions to move along the channel and change the volume density, as well as the conductivity of the channel.
The most remarkable thing is that the artificial synapse, like its living analogue, works in the same way on water and minerals (ions) dissolved in it. For simplicity, the scientists used an aqueous solution of potassium chloride, whereas calcium ions are involved in the chemical and electrical processes in a living synapse. Thus, an artificial brain can be simpler than digital platforms, more energy efficient, and can outperform them in executing artificial intelligence algorithms.
According to the authors of the study, their discovery could form the basis of new computer systems that are significantly superior in efficiency and energy consumption to modern technologies.