Engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have created an artificial neuron whose electrical behavior closely mirrors that of natural brain cells. This breakthrough expands on their previous work with protein nanowires derived from electricity-generating bacteria. The technique could one day let computers match the energy efficiency of living systems and connect with biological tissue.
“Our brain processes huge amounts of information while using very little power,” says Shuai Fu, lead author of the Nature Communications study.
The Brain’s Unmatched Electrical Efficiency
The human body demonstrates exceptional electrical efficiency — over a hundred times greater than that of standard computer circuits. The brain alone houses billions of neurons, specialized cells that transmit and receive electrical impulses throughout the body. Writing a story uses about 20 watts in the human brain, while a large language model may need over a megawatt.
Engineers have long sought energy-efficient artificial neurons, but matching biological voltage levels proved difficult. “Earlier designs used ten times more voltage and a hundred times more power than ours,” says Jun Yao, noting they couldn’t link with living neurons.
“Our neurons operate at just 0.1 volts — roughly the same as those in the human body,” Yao notes.
Fu and Yao’s low-voltage neuron opens up possibilities for a wide range of applications, from bio-inspired computing architectures that mimic the brain’s energy efficiency to electronic devices capable of communicating directly with the body.
Low-Voltage Neurons Simplify Wearable Sensors
“Today’s wearable electronic sensors are relatively bulky and inefficient,” Yao says. “Each time they detect a body signal, it must be amplified for computer processing.”. That extra amplification step increases both power use and circuit complexity. Devices built with our low-voltage neurons could eliminate the need for amplification entirely.
The breakthrough relies on protein nanowires from Geobacter sulfurreducens, a bacterium that generates electricity. Yao’s team has used these nanowires to power small electronics, detect diseases, and even harvest energy from the air.
Read the original article on: Sciencedaily
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