A paper-based device that replicates brain activity has been made by Chinese researchers.
The “thin-film transistor” mimics the function of the brain’s biological synapse – the small gap between adjoining neurons. Electrical and chemical activity pass through the synapse, moving messages throughout the brain.
Researchers applied a small voltage to an electrode on the device which caused protons to migrate to the second electrode. The proton acted as a neurotransmitter, the chemical substance that transfers signals across the synapse’s gap.
The device could be used to create artificial neural pathways, useful in fields such as robotics and computer processing.
Read more at Institute of Physics