Technology Post 5/15

Researchers working at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the University of California, Santa Barbara claim to have constructed the world’s first electronic memory cell that mimics the analog process of the human brain. By storing memories as multiple threads of  information, rather than a collection of numbers, scientists believe that this device may prove to be the first step towards creating a completely artificial,  bionic brain. Researchers believe that the breakthrough not only carries them closer to reproducing  aspects of the human brain electronically, but could also assist in providing effective treatments for neurological conditions. Memory resistors used in the new device are electronic components whose electrical resistance is not constant like standard resistors, but is determined by the history of the electric current that has previously flowed through it. This current work exploits earlier research at RMIT, where ultra-thin film oxide material 10,000 times thinner than a human hair was used to create Nano-scale, ultra-fast memory components.