Implementing Neural Architectures Using Analog VLSI Circuits

Biological systems routinely perform computations, such as speech recognition and the calculation of visual motion, that baffle our most powerful computers. Analog very large-scale integrated (VLSI) technology allows us not only to study and simulate biological systems, but also to emulate them in designing artificial sensory systems. A methodology for building these systems in CMOS VLSI technology has been developed using analog micropower circuit elements that can be hierarchically combined. Using this methodology, experimental VLSI chips of visual and motor subsystems have been designed and fabricated. These chips exhibit behavior similar to that of biological systems, and perform computations useful for artificial sensory systems.