Brain-inspired computing system based on skyrmions 'reads' handwriting FEB 9, 2023 by RIKEN
...The new neuromorphic device created by researchers including Tomoyuki Yokouchi of the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, relies on a type of artificial neural network known as the reservoir computing model. One feature of this model is its short-term memory—its output depends on both past and present inputs to the system. That's where tiny magnetic whirlpools known as skyrmions come in. These magnetic patterns have an in-built memory effect, because their structure and behavior reflect previous exposure to magnetic fields. Skyrmions can also run on low energies. "Another advantage of using skyrmions is energy saving, because skyrmions can be controlled using very small current densities," says Yokouchi... ...The researchers trained the device using more than 13,000 images of handwritten digits from 0 to 9. They converted the images into magnetic input signals, and tuned the device so that the output voltage signals accurately represented the correct digit. The team then tested the device using another 5,000 images, and found that it could recognize the numbers with about 95% accuracy—outperforming rival neuromorphic devices...
Tomoyuki Yokouchi et al, Pattern recognition with neuromorphic computing using magnetic field–induced dynamics of skyrmions, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq5652
