U.S. Army Research Laboratory

Ronald E. Meyers delves into quantum physics research at the U. S. Army Research Laboratory. Meyers, fellow researcher Keith Deacon and Gert Cauwenberghs, a professor of bioengineering and biology at the University of California at San Diego, earned a patent for a futuristic neural computer chip.

Researchers working for the U.S. Army have developed and patented a neural computer chip that mimics human brain functions and could potentially be used for quantum computing, which could harness the power of individual atoms to perform functions millions of times faster than conventional computers. The new technology could eventually prove valuable for encryption and decryption and a wide range of other uses, including a next-generation Internet and the possibility of helping wounded soldiers better control prosthetic limbs.

Two Army Research Laboratory (ARL) scientists—Keith Deacon and Ronald Meyers—patented the neural chip for the Army in September. They worked with Gert Cauwenberghs, a professor of bioengineering and biology and co-director of the Institute for Neural Computation at the University of California at San Diego.

The technology uses synaptic connections for interfacing neurons and learning through feedback. “Some people would call it artificial intelligence, but it’s really a cooperative. The neurons are working together and cooperating with each other to try to learn and accomplish some task in an efficient manner,” explains Meyers, who also serves as lead investigator on the project. “It’s not yet quantum. It’s just not traditional.”