Computing system inspired by Human Brain

A team of researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Notre Dame has created a computing system that employs a network of electronic oscillators to solve graph coloring tasks- a problem that tends to choke today's computer.

Graph coloring problems starts with the graph-a visual representation of the set of objects connected in some way. To solve the problem, each object must be assigned a color, but two objects directly connected can not share the same color. typically, the goal is to color all objects in the graph using the smallest number of different colors, as we see in world atlas.

Structure of computer neuron inspired from human neuron.

In designing a system different from tradition transistor-based computing, the researchers took cues from the human brain, where processing handled collectively, such a neural oscillatory network, rather than with a central processor.

The electronic oscillators, fabricated from Vanadium dioxide, were found to have a natural ability that could be harnessed for graph coloring problems. When a group of oscillators were electrically connected by capacitive links, these automatically synchronised with the same frequency- oscillating at the same rate. Meanwhile, oscillators directly connected to one another would operates at different phases within the same frequency, and oscillators in the same group but not directly connected would sync in both frequency and phase.

If you suppose that each phase represents a different color, this system was essentially mimicking naturally the solution to a graph coloring problem.