Arxiv – memristors be immune to most types of noise, their memory ought to be enhanced by it. Researchers calculate that high frequency noise has little effect on memristance because the device cannot respond quickly enough to the changes that this noise produces. Low frequency noise also has little effect because it produces changes that are too slow to effect the memory.
Technology Review – Next Generation Memories Will Be Improved By Noise
There is an intermediate range of noise that has a significant effect on memristance. But far from destroying memristance, Stotland and Di Ventra calculate that it should amplify it by making the hysteresis curve wider. In effect, this type of noise improves memristance.
This is analogous to another well known effect of noise known as stochastic resonance, in which the sensitivity of certain systems is improved by noise. Stotland and Di Ventra call their new effect stochastic memory.
Stotland and Di Ventra go on to say that their theory can be easily tested. One important source of noise in any electronic system is temperature. So changing the temperature of a memristor should effect its memristance in a characteristic way.
The role of noise may have important implications for other fields of science. It turns out that the electrical behaviour of synapses, the gaps between neurons, is identical to a memristor’s. So it seems as if memristance must play a fundamental role in the way our body and brain processes information.
Neurologists have often wondered why our information processing system is so robust to the noise that must bombard it.
Perhaps Stotland and Di Ventra’s ideas will show that neurons are not just robust against noise, they actually depend on it to work effectively.
There are already a number of research programs to study and exploit memristance in making chips that can mimic the behaviour of neural circuits. So we may not have to wait long to find out.
If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.