Researchers at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research have developed a neuromorphic sensor that responds to humidity like a biological system. The device can sense, process, and store information in one platform, potentially reducing energy use in future electronics.
Ministry of Science & Technology today notified about a newer step towards energy-efficient electronics.
According to the press release, scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research have developed a humidity-responsive neuromorphic sensor that mimics brain-like functions within a single device.
Neuromorphic electronics aim to copy how the brain works. This field is becoming important as current computing systems are facing issues like high power consumption and increasing data load, especially in areas like artificial intelligence and edge computing.
The newly developed sensor is single platform designed to integrate sensing, processing, and memory. These functions are typically handled separately in conventional systems.
This separation usually leads to higher energy consumption and delays due to data transfer between components.
In contrast, biological systems perform these functions simultaneously, making them more efficient.
The research team drew inspiration from amphibians, particularly cricket frogs, whose activity levels change based on environmental moisture and light conditions. Mimicking this behaviour, the scientists developed the device using one-dimensional supramolecular nanofibres.
These nanofibres were formed using donor and acceptor molecules and then coated onto interdigitated gold electrodes on a glass substrate.
The device was tested in a humidity-controlled environment, where different levels of moisture were introduced. The sensor demonstrated synaptic-like responses such as facilitation, depression, and metaplasticity which are key characteristics of neural behaviour.
The sensor also temporarily ‘remembered’ past humidity levels. Its response is also affected by light, similar to how frog behaviour changes in natural conditions.
According to the researchers, this is the first instance where humidity has been used as the primary stimulus to replicate synaptic behaviour in a neuromorphic device.
The study has been published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. The researchers say the technology could be useful in environmental monitoring, wearable health devices, and low-power computing systems used in AI and IoT.
They added that such systems, which combine multiple functions in one device, could help in developing more sustainable and energy-efficient electronics in the future.
Source: PIB
