New human brain-like computer chip to power drones

Pentagon researchers have created a computer chip inspired by the human brain to power unmanned aircraft or robotic ground systems.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has created a breakthrough technology for national security by developing a chip with over 5 billion transistors and more than 250 million "synapses" that mimic the connections between neurons in the brain, which requires only a fraction of electricity needed by other chips, the Washington Times reported.

The result of the Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE) program, could allow unmanned aircraft or robotic ground with limited power budgets to distinguish threats more accurately and take burdens off system operators

Gill Pratt, DARPA program manager, said that the idea behind the computer chip design was to achieve the highest performance at the lowest cost.

This chip will also will allow military personnel to carry lighter computer equipment on deployments, since current batteries often come in cumbersome packages.