Engineers from Northwestern University in the USA have developed flexible and low-cost artificial nerve cells that can produce electrical signals compatible with biological neurons. The study revealed that these artificial cells successfully stimulated real neurons in tests conducted on mouse brain tissue in a laboratory environment. It was stated that traditional computer systems consist of billions of transistors built on fixed and hard silicon-based structures, while the brain works as a network of much more flexible, three-dimensional and constantly changing connections. It was reported that this difference led scientists to imitate biological systems that can perform more complex processes with lower energy.
In the production of artificial neurons developed within the scope of the research, a special electronic printer material containing semiconductor molybdenum disulfide and conductive graphene was used. These materials were produced by printing flexible polymer surfaces using a spraying technique known as ‘aerosol jet’. It was stated that the resulting structure can create complex electrical responses that can mimic the signal production pattern of real neurons.
According to experts, this development may have important consequences not only in the field of medicine but also in artificial intelligence hardware. As an alternative to current systems that consume especially high energy and water, it may pave the way for new generation processors that consume much less energy, are environmentally friendly and can integrate with biological tissues.
