pratt@zztop.rutgers.edu (Lorien Y. Pratt) (10/14/88)
Fall, 1988
Neural Networks Colloquium Series
at Rutgers
Bitmap Graphics and Neural Networks
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Cary Kornfeld
AT&T Bell Laboratories
Room 705 Hill center, Busch Campus
Monday October 31, 1988 at 11:00 AM
NOTE DAY AND TIME ARE DIFFERENT FROM USUAL
Refreshments served before the talk
From the perspective of system architecture and hardware
design, bitmap graphics and neural networks are surprisingly
alike.
I will describe two key components of a graphics
processor, designed and fabricated at Xerox PARC, this engine is
based on Leo Guiba's Bitmap Calculus. While implementing that
machine I got interested in building tiny, experimental flat
panel displays. In the second part of this talk, I will
describe a few of the early prototypes and (if facilities per-
mit), will show a short video clip of their operation.
When I arrived at Bell Labs three years ago I began
building larger display panels using amorphous silicon,
thin film transistors on glass substrates. It was this display
work that gave birth to the idea of fabricating large neural
networks using light sensitive synaptic elements. In May of this
year we demonstrated working prototypes of these arrays in an ex-
perimental neuro-computer at the Atlanta COMDEX show.
This is one of the first neuro-computers built and is
among the largest. Each of its 14,000 synapses is independently
programmable over a continuous range of connection strength that
can theoretically span more than five orders of magnitude
(we've measured about three in our first-generation arrays).
The computer has an animated, graphical user interface that en-
ables the operator to both monitor and control its operation.
This machine is "programmed" to solve a pattern reconstruction
problem. (Again, facilities permitting) I will show a video tape
of its operation and will demonstrate the user interface on a
color SUN 3.
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Lorien Y. Pratt Computer Science Department
pratt@paul.rutgers.edu Rutgers University
Busch Campus
(201) 932-4634 Piscataway, NJ 08854