My goal is to change the way robots are designed. Biological systems are powerful learning machines that do not need to be programmed to execute a task. They learn how to perform it.To allow robots to learn similarly to the way biological systems do, one needs to combine the design of multi-system, biologically-inspired neural models, high-density, low-power neuromorphic hardware, and robots capable of interacting and learning in real time in complex natural environments.

In 2010, I founded the Boston University Neuromorphics Lab, part of the NSF Science of Learning Center CELEST, where my colleagues and I work to pursue this goal.  The Lab has been featured on the cover page of IEEE Spectrum (2010) and IEEE Computer (2011), New Scientist (May 2011), the Boston University 2011 Reasearch and Arts&Sciences magazines as well as in several printed and online media outlet, including CNN, MSNBC, Popular Science, Slashdot, Robotics news, Tech News Daily, BU Today, Nanotechnology, Boston Innovation, and Il Sole 24 Ore (the major Italian business newspaper), and many others, along with more than thirty among peer-reviewed articles, magazine articles, conference papers, conference presentations, and invited talks in academic institutions, companies, and national labs.

I am also involved in several technology initiatives in CELEST, and the development and testing of a software package for advanced neurosimulations, KInNeSS. In January 2006 I co-founded Neurala LLC with the target of developing a technology platform that enables programmers to write brain-based algorithms that exploit emerging, low-cost parallel hardware components. Other research interests include the application of machine learning algorithms to financial forecasting. My research is supported in part by CELEST, an NSF Science of Learning Center (NSF SBE-0354378). [read more]

HIGHLIGHTS

An article titled " MoNETA: A Mind Made from Memristors" is to appear on the IEEE Spectrum article, December edition. The article, referenced in the cover page, was written by me, Ben Chandler, with the superb help of Sally Adee. The article and the back page story are online: online article or PDF back page story

The Neuromorphic Lab featured on AZoRobotics (online or PDF) The Lab featured on the Italian Il Sole 24 Ore (online or PDF) A cover page featured article on IEEE Computer featuring the Neuromorphic Lab and Hewlett-Pakard The Neuromorphic Lab at Boston University on the February edition of Popular Science

Other highlights The SyNAPSE project The SMART model Financial modeling Keeping it in mind: how prefrontal cortex neurons maintains information in memory

How do spiking laminar circuits enable visual perception of contours?

How to control the transfer function of spiking neursl networks?

Explaining motion reference frames in laminar cortical circuits