Page 42 - EE Times Europe Magazine | June2020

42 EE|Times EUROPE — Sensors Insert

OPINION | NEUROMORPHIC VISION

Europe Still the Focal

Point for Neuromorphic

Vision

By Anne-Françoise Pelé

Neuromorphic vision is the intersection of biology, computer
science, electronic engineering, and physics to form artificial neural
systems inspired by biological structures. It fosters knowledge trans-
fer and sharing. It brings a perspective on perception. Shih-Chii Liu received her Ph.D. in 1997
Journalists work in the present to prepare for the future. We delve from Caltech’s Department of Computation
into the past, in search of context, explanations, and references. and Neural Systems. A year later, she joined
As part of my research into the concept and application of neuro- the Sensors Group at the Institute of Neu-
morphic engineering, I once interviewed Pierre Cambou, principal roinformatics. Tobias Delbrück, the inventor
analyst for imaging at Yole Développement (Lyon, France). After of the Dynamic Vision System, received a
paying a vibrant tribute to Carver Mead, the Caltech professor who is acknowledged as the father Ph.D. from Caltech in 1993 and moved to the
of neuromorphic computing, Cambou mapped the geography of research and development Institute of Neuroinformatics in 1998. Liu
activity. “The image-sensing efforts come mostly from Europe and Israel,” he said. “The memory and Delbrück now co-lead the Sensors Group.
ecosystem is almost 100% in the U.S., while the computing ecosystem is more balanced between Kenan Eng came to Zurich in 2000 to pursue
Asia, Europe, and the United States.” his Ph.D. at the Institute of Neuroinformatics.
I was struck by the correlation of “image sensing” with “Europe.” Cambou’s observation Twenty years later, he is the CEO of iniVation
deserves more attention, especially in light of a few recent events: Samsung sealed a deal with and chairman of aiCTX and QuantActions.
Zurich-based startup iniVation, and Sony quietly acquired Zurich-based Insightness and co-pre- He is also a board member at iniLabs and an
sented with Paris-based Prophesee a new, stacked, event-based vision sensor at the International adviser for Karuna VR and We Are Play Lab.
Solid-State Circuits Conference. What’s up with neuromorphic sensing in Europe? Why here? “In the early ’90s, researchers worked on
how to construct equivalences of neurons
THE WINDOW TO THE SOUL and neural circuits in silicon,” said Eng. “The
“The sense which is nearest to the organ of perception functions most quickly; and this is the principles we are seeing in operations now are
eye, the chief and leader of all others,” wrote Leonardo da Vinci. basically the same as those built back then.
Vision is a sensory experience. Understanding vision is one of the central goals of neuromor- In fact, some of the features were removed
phic research and development. Had da Vinci not observed light rays, examined the optic nerves, to make the systems more buildable from an
and dissected eyes, he would not have fostered the development of the camera obscura. Had engineering sense, but those ideas are still
Eadweard Muybridge not developed an interest in human locomotion and animal motion pho- influential in both research and the long-term
tography, he would not have devised the zoopraxiscope, a forerunner of motion pictures. Had the product roadmaps of companies coming out.”
Lumière brothers not been interested in seeing life’s moments unfold on a big screen, they would The Institute of Neuroinformatics has
not have invented an early motion-picture camera and projector called the Cinématographe. become the center for neuromorphic sensing
And had Misha Mahowald not been fascinated by the structure of the eye and brain and how they research, as well as the center of attention
work together, she would not have invented the silicon retina in 1991. and discussion. “Everybody would basically
Mahowald lived and breathed the technology and was determined to accomplish her mission. come, visit, and bring their ideas,” said Eng. It
“I think that it’s going to take a lot of effort to demonstrate that engineering can bring specific is also involved in two international work-
understandings to biological systems, and perhaps even more work to demonstrate that under- shops every year: one in Italy, one in the U.S.
standing biological systems can give rise to new engineering solutions,” she once said. “But “We were, and still are, in a unique position
there is no proof like demonstration, so I just need to do it.” of being a focal point for all this research
A Ph.D. student at Caltech under Mead’s tutelage, Mahowald moved to Oxford in the early 1990s worldwide,” said Eng. “This is about having a
to work with Kevan Martin and Rodney Douglas on analog VLSI models of the microcircuits of the mix of people locally plus acting as a hub for
visual cortex. In 1995, she established the Institute of Neuroinformatics at the University of Zurich the global community in this research field.”
and ETH Zurich to identify the computational principles of the brain and implement them in artifi- The concept has been so successful that it
cial systems that interact intelligently with the real world. “The brain is imagination, and that was is being replicated in other parts of the world.
exciting to me; I wanted to build a chip that could imagine something,” she said. Australia has just set up the International
The silicon retina not only offered the promise of restoring sight but illustrated how the Centre for Neuromorphic Systems, and China
convergence of multiple scientific disciplines — biology, electrical engineering, and computer has similar plans. “We take this as a compli-
science — can generate synergies. ment,” said Eng.
A compliment, and concrete evidence of the
THE FOCAL POINT efficiency of open collaboration. ■ IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
Mahowald paved the way for further critical work on neuromorphic vision as she inspired the next
generations of researchers. For decades, Europe has been draining a steady flow of students and Anne-Françoise Pelé is editor-in-chief of
researchers from all over the world. Some came here after earning their degrees and never left. eetimes.eu.

JUNE 2020 | www.eetimes.eu