A flagship project which launched a range of prototype computer platforms to support brain research, including one based at the University of Manchester, has received an €89 million boost from the European Commission. The Human Brain Project, which comprises six new informatics-based platforms across Europe, aims to accelerate scientific understanding of the human brain, make advances in defining and diagnosing brain disorders, and develop new brain-like technologies.
Manchester’s contribution to the project is SpiNNaker (Spiking Neural Network Architecture), a computing platform made up of 500,000 microprocessors which emulates the way brain neurons fire signals in real time. SpiNNaker can be used to model areas of the brain, and to test new hypotheses about how the brain might work. As it runs at the same speed as the biological brain, it can be used to control robotic systems, providing ‘embodiment’ for the brain models. This biological approach to robot control is very different from the algorithmic systems more commonly used in robotics.
Steve Furber, ICL Professor of Computer Engineering in the University of Manchester’s School of Computer Science, said: “We are very pleased that the funding for the next phase of the Human Brain Project has been confirmed, enabling us to continue to offer the SpiNNaker platform to our growing international user community and to progress the development of a second-generation machine.”