FACETS Project

There is another project that is attempting to simulate aspects of the brain via a computer. The FACETS project (short for uh, Fast Analog Computing with Emergent Transient States) has already been ongoing for several years. The FACETS acronym is not as clever as the SYNAPSE project term, if you didn't already notice. It seems like DARPA is better at coming up with witty acronyms.

The FACETS project aims to address the unsolved question of how the brain computes with a concerted action of neuroscientists, computer scientists, engineers and physicists. It combines a substantial fraction of the European groups working in the field into a consortium of 13 groups from Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Since September 2005 more than 80 scientists join their efforts over a period of 4 years. A project of this dimension has rarely been carried out in the context of brain-science related work in Europe, in particular with such a strong interdisciplinary component.

A recent article has some more good information on the progress of this project.

The goal is to use these models to build a ‘neural computer’ which emulates the brain. The first effort is a network of 300 neurons and half a million synapses on a single chip. The team used analogue electronics to represent the neurons and digital electronics to represent communications between them. It’s a unique combination.

When will people learn? You have to make an acronym with a little pizazz, otherwise no one will care about your project. Maybe that's why the US is always beating the Europeans on this stuff. Some people really need a basic course in memetics 101.