IMS Neuromorphic Engineering

Facets Project

FP6-2004-IST-FETPI 15879 (2005-2009)

The goal of the FACETS project is to create a theoretical and experimental foundation for the practical realisation of novel computing hardware, which exploits the concepts experimentally observed in biological nervous systems. The continuous feedback between hardware based experiments, computer modelling and biological experiments within the project will provide a unique infrastructure, which will in turn provide an improved insight into the computing principles of biological tissue in nature.
In order to focus the computational analysis on realistic tasks for this new approach to computing, the benchmark applications for the project will concentrate on computational problems that arise in vision, in particular on problems involving rapidly changing input visual input where there is a particular need for novel computational ideas and corresponding circuit designs.

The role of IXL in the FACETS project is the design and exploitation of specific VLSI neural circuits of a high biological relevance, to simulate at the single cell and small networks level the models studied as references in the FACETS the project. The real-time intrinsic properties of the neural circuits, that precisely compute neurons conductance-based models, will allow a systematic and detailed exploration of the models; while the physical an analog aspect of the simulations, opposed to software simulation on, will provide inputs for the development of the neural hardware at the network level.
The hardware VLSI devices developed in this work package will be full custom analog circuits (ASICs) designed in a sub-micron CMOS or SiGe technology. The ASICs will be controlled by a software/hardware custom environment; the whole forms a mixed analog-digital neural simulation unit. The unit will be configured as a stand-alone tool (PC format), or be integrated in existing computer-based environments.


	PROJECTS
	Facets Project FP6-2004-IST-FETPI 15879 (2005-2009) The goal of the FACETS project is to create a theoretical and experimental foundation for the practical realisation of novel computing hardware, which exploits the concepts experimentally observed in biological nervous systems. The continuous feedback between hardware based experiments, computer modelling and biological experiments within the project will provide a unique infrastructure, which will in turn provide an improved insight into the computing principles of biological tissue in nature. In order to focus the computational analysis on realistic tasks for this new approach to computing, the benchmark applications for the project will concentrate on computational problems that arise in vision, in particular on problems involving rapidly changing input visual input where there is a particular need for novel computational ideas and corresponding circuit designs. The role of IXL in the FACETS project is the design and exploitation of specific VLSI neural circuits of a high biological relevance, to simulate at the single cell and small networks level the models studied as references in the FACETS the project. The real-time intrinsic properties of the neural circuits, that precisely compute neurons conductance-based models, will allow a systematic and detailed exploration of the models; while the physical an analog aspect of the simulations, opposed to software simulation on, will provide inputs for the development of the neural hardware at the network level. The hardware VLSI devices developed in this work package will be full custom analog circuits (ASICs) designed in a sub-micron CMOS or SiGe technology. The ASICs will be controlled by a software/hardware custom environment; the whole forms a mixed analog-digital neural simulation unit. The unit will be configured as a stand-alone tool (PC format), or be integrated in existing computer-based environments.

PROJECTS