Coupled physarum-inspired memristor oscillators for neuron-like operations

Abstract

Unconventional computing has been studied intensively, even after the appearance of CMOS technology. Currently, it has returned to the spotlight because CMOS is about to reach its physical limits, given that the constant demand for more computational power requires for novel unconventional computing solutions. In this area, the oscillatory internal motion mechanism of slime mould, namely Physarum Polycephalum, could serve as an alternative concept for the design and development of electronic circuits that exploit the memristive dynamics and simple LC contours to deliver solutions for computationally hard to be solved problems. In this direction, this work presents how bio-inspired memristive LC oscillators with a coupling capacitor can be synchronized to perform the functionalities of a biological neuron, also able to execute more complex computations, aiming to model biological neural systems much more advanced than the neuron-less slime mould biological organism. This work proposes a connection between the function mechanism of a simple biological organism and that of complex biological systems, made in a plausible and sufficient manner, towards unconventional computation with memristors.