Electrospun multifunctional nanofiber nonwovens for bio-inspired computers

Today's computers are based on the so-called von Neumann architecture – processor and memory are separated. For each arithmetic operation, data has to be transported back and forth between these two locations, which costs time and is referred to as the von Neumann bottleneck. In many cases, a bio-inspired architecture would be more efficient that is more like the human brain, where data is processed, stored, and transported within closely spaced small regions and between these areas. In a current project, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation under the funding line “Experiment!”, a completely new approach is followed to create hardware for this so-called neuromorphic computing. While other research groups primarily use magnetic tunneling elements and similar modern devices to develop novel bio-inspired computer structures, this project is based on a textile technology – electrospinning.