Researchers at the Delft University of Technology at the Netherlands have developed a new type of drone called a “neuromorphic drone” that is modelled after animal brains in how it processes data. The initial tests reveal these neuromorphic drones process data 64 times faster than drones using conventional GPUs and use three times less energy to do so.
One of the authors of the study, Jesse Hagenaars, said “The calculations performed by spiking neural networks are much simpler than those in standard deep neural network. Whereas digital spiking neurons only need to add integers, standard neurons have to multiply and add floating point numbers. This makes spiking neural networks quicker and more energy efficient. To understand why, think of how humans also find it much easier to calculate 5 + 8 than to calculate 6.25 x 3.45 + 4.05 x 3.45.”
Go to Article
Excerpt from scitechdaily.com
Researchers at Delft University of Technology have created a drone that can fly autonomously, utilizing neuromorphic image processing and control inspired by the functioning of animal brains. Animal brains process data and consume energy more efficiently than the deep neural networks typically operated on GPUs. Consequently, neuromorphic processors are ideal for small drones, as they eliminate the need for bulky hardware and large batteries.
The results are extraordinary: during flight, the drone’s deep neural network processes data up to 64 times faster and consumes three times less energy than when running on a GPU. Further developments of this technology may enable the leap for drones to become as small, agile, and smart as flying insects or birds. The findings were recently published in Science Robotics.
About The Author
