Experimental verification of an opto-chemical "neurocomputer".

Ivan S Proskurkin,Pavel S Smelov,Vladimir K Vanag

doi:10.1039/d0cp01858a

Abstract

A theoretically predicted hierarchical network of pulse coupled chemical micro-oscillators and excitable micro-cells that we call a chemical "neurocomputer" (CN) or even a chemical "brain" is tested experimentally using the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. The CN consists of five functional units: (1) a central pattern generator (CPG), (2) an antenna, (3) a reader for the CPG, (4) a reader for the antenna unit, and (5) a decision making (DM) unit. A hybrid CN, in which such chemical units as readers and DM units are replaced by electronic units, is tested as well. All these variations of the CN respond intelligently to external signals, since they perform an automatic transition from a current to a new dynamic mode of the CPG, which is similar to the antenna dynamic mode that in turn is induced by external signals. In other words, we show for the first time that a network of pulse coupled chemical micro-oscillators is capable of intelligent adaptive behavior.

Highlights

Several years ago, the question ‘‘Can droplets and bubbles think?’’ was posed in connection with a microfluidic ‘‘thinking device’’ working with chemically inert droplets.[1]
The chemical ‘‘neurocomputer’’ (CN) consists of five functional units: (1) a central pattern generator (CPG), (2) an antenna, (3) a reader for the CPG, (4) a reader for the antenna unit, and (5) a decision making (DM) unit
All these variations of the CN respond intelligently to external signals, since they perform an automatic transition from a current to a new dynamic mode of the CPG, which is similar to the antenna dynamic mode that in turn is induced by external signals

Summary

Introduction

The question ‘‘Can droplets and bubbles think?’’ was posed in connection with a microfluidic ‘‘thinking device’’ working with chemically inert droplets.[1]. The CN is a network of pulse-coupled chemical oscillators and excitable cells, all of which are coupled by either inhibitory or excitatory pulses with time delays. Such coupling is similar to the coupling in the brain, if we take into account only synapses, but not gap junctions. In the antenna unit, which consists of four MRs as well (k = 1–4), we use unidirectional coupling on the ring, but with ‘‘negative’’ light pulses (a pulsed cut-off of the steady illumination).[30] To transform the oscillatory BZ reaction into an excitable steady state (SS), we illuminate it continuously with light intensity ISS = 0.78 klx. All values of Ik, DtCPG, DtA, DtR, DtDM, Dtsw, Dtsp, DtSS, tCPG, tA, and t(skw) are controlled by our software

Antenna

Reader of the A-unit

Mechanism of the DM unit and the entire CN

Testing a hybrid CN