The human brain is made up of around 100 billion neurons, constantly processing information, performing complex tasks and monitoring stimuli from the outside world. And how much energy does it use? Just 20W, less than a light bulb. Can such an efficient tool inspire the development of an innovative microchip? This is the question that a team of researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca wants to answer by asking the community to support the crowdfunding campaign TinyNeuron - Silicon Neuron for AI: the campaign, which aims to raise €10,000 to develop a microchip capable of emulating the behaviour and structure of a network of biological neurons, has just been published on Ideaginger.it, the crowdfunding platform with the highest success rate in Italy.
'Our goal is to lay the foundations for the development of a neuromorphic processor that will enable the next generation of artificial intelligence algorithms, working in a similar way to the brain,' said Lorenzo Stevenazzi, project leader. This is a very promising area of research: for example, it can significantly reduce the energy consumption of devices and sensors, but also simplify the integration between robotic prostheses and the human body, which would then speak the same language.
TinyNeuron - Silicon Neuron for AI was selected as part of the 6th BiUniCrowd call, through which the University of Milan-Bicocca promotes crowdfunding to finance research projects, and has received the support of Thales Alenia Space, which will co-finance the crowdfunding campaign with a further €5,000 once it reaches 50% of its goal.
As of this year, BiUniCrowd has been developed in partnership with Ginger Crowdfunding, which runs Ideaginger.it and with which the accompanying path for researchers through crowdfunding training has been designed, allowing them to define every aspect of their fundraising projects.
"I am convinced that crowdfunding is the best tool to start this line of research," says Lorenzo Stevenazzi. "The chip we are working on reproduces a network of neurons working together for a common result, just like in a crowdfunding campaign. Neuromorphic systems can revolutionise artificial intelligence, probably one of the most promising technologies of all time, and thanks to the essential contribution of our supporters, this research can become a reality".
"Thales Alenia Space is constantly looking for innovative and ambitious technological solutions, like the one the TinyNeuron - Silicon Neuron for AI team is working on," said Paolo Cerabolini, CTO of Thales Alenia Space. "Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the project is that, in addition to the technological areas we know it will revolutionise, it also has the potential to open up research scenarios for new applications in the very near future."
Supporting TinyNeuron - Silicon Neuron for AI is easy. Just log on to the campaign page, donate and choose your reward from the ones the researchers have devised, including the chance to meet the team during an exclusive visit to their research lab.