A team of researchers from the Northwestern University in the U.S. are currently working on electronics memory resistors that could enable computers of the future to operate more like the human brain.

Memory resistors, also called "memristors", are resistors in a circuit capable of recalling how much current is flowing through them.

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"Computers are very impressive in many ways, but they're not equal to the mind," said Mark Hersam, one of the researchers.

"Neurons can achieve very complicated computation with very low power consumption compared to a digital computer."

Unlike conventional computers that use random access memory (RAM) and flash drives to store information, memristors offer faster and more reliable memory.

"Memristors could be used as a memory element in an integrated circuit or computer," Hersam added.

"Unlike other memories that exist today in modern electronics, memristors are stable and remember their state even if you lose power."

Using a single layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) which is a thin 2D nanomaterial semiconductor, Hersam intends to transform memristors from two-terminal into three-terminal electronic devices.

This allows memristors to be used in more complicated electronics circuits and systems.

"With a memristor that can be tuned with a third electrode, we have the possibility to realize a function you could not previously achieve," Hersam continued.

"A three-terminal memristor has been proposed as a means of realizing brain-like computing. We are now actively exploring this possibility in the laboratory."

Researchers from the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton in the U.K have also recently demonstrated the potential use of optical fibers to reproduce the neural networks of the human brain.

These optical fibers made of special glasses called "chalcogenides" could allow computers to perform faster, enabling it also to learn and evolve.

TagsMemristors, Memory Resistors, RAM, Flash Drive, computer, Northwestern University, Electronics, circuit