A new superconducting switch could soon enable computers to make decisions similarly to the way we do, essentially turning them into artificial brains.
One day, this new technology could underpin advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that may become part of our everyday life, from transportation to medicine.
Researchers at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) explain that, much like a biological brain, the switch "learns" by processing the electrical signals it receives and producing appropriate output signals.
The process mirrors the function of biological synapses in the brain, which allow neurons to communicate with each other.
The artificial synapse, which is described in a paper published in Science Advances on Friday, January 26, has the shape of a metallic cylinder and is 10 micrometres (0.0004 inches) wide.
It is designed so it can learn through experience - or even from just the surrounding environment.
As is increasingly common in the field of AI, this synthetic switch performs even better than its biological counterpart, using much less energy than our brains do and firing signals much faster than human neurons, 1 billion times per second.
For comparison, our synapses fire about 50 times per second. This has a significant impact on processing because the greater the frequency of electric signals that are fired and received, the stronger the connection between the synapses become.