CAREER: Evolvable Hardware Neuromorphic Computational Devices for Sensing and Control

这是教师早期职业发展(Career)奖。这项工作的研究部分将开发一个单一的、通用的可演化硬件(EH)框架，该框架允许创建可在各种应用领域使用的自设计、自配置计算设备。EH试图创造自我设计的计算机器，特别是那些能够利用常规理解的工程技术之外的设计原理的机器，以及能够随着问题领域的变化而自动适应的自我配置设备。该框架的通用性将通过使用它来进化设备来解决来自几个传统计算机科学领域的问题来展示。研究计划侧重于开发一个通用框架来进化实用的神经形态计算设备，以及开发专门的VLSI芯片来体现这些设备。该框架将被应用于产生新的神经形态设备，以解决控制(喷气发动机燃烧稳定)和模式识别(机器嗅觉的主动传感)方面的问题。通过在同一芯片上结合进化学习和模拟神经形态计算，该项目旨在提供在服务期间能够适应和改进的控制器。该项目的教育计划是基于这样一种想法，即专业实践既需要强大的理论掌握，也需要应用理论解决实际问题的技能。因此，工程实践最好是在既能提供理论知识又能提供实践指导的导师的帮助下学习。这些教育活动旨在培养教师、研究生、本科生和大学社区以外的普通公众之间的导师/学生关系。这些活动旨在将研究纳入本科和研究生课程，鼓励学生攻读计算机科学和工程方面的高级学位，并教育公众了解支持计算机科学和工程研究的一般优势。这一职业奖表彰和支持有可能成为21世纪学术领袖的教师和学者的早期职业发展活动。除了教育方面的好处外，这项研究还将产生更广泛的影响。自我设计的计算机器将具有巨大的价值，既可以作为工具，也可以作为新设计原则的生成器，供人类利用。自我配置设备在需要长时间保持服务的自主情况下或在人工调整不现实的环境中将是无价的。这项研究的目的是建立可演化硬件框架的通用性，提供立即有用的计算设备，并扩展基础科学知识。

This is a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. The research portion of the work will develop a single, general Evolvable Hardware (EH) framework that allows for the creation of self-designing, self-configuring computational devices usable across a variety of application areas. EH seeks to create self-designing computational machines, especially those capable of exploiting design principles outside of conventionally understood engineering techniques, and self-configuring devices capable of automatically adapting as a problem domain changes. The generality of the framework will be demonstrated by using it to evolve devices to address problems drawn from several traditional computer science areas.The research plan focuses on the development of a general framework for the evolution of practical neuromorphic computational devices as well as the development of specialized VLSI chips to embody those devices. The framework will be applied to generate novel neuromorphic devices to address problems in control (jet engine combustion stabilization) and pattern recognition (active sensing for machine olfaction). By combining evolutionary learning and analog neuromorphic computing on the same chip, the project aims to deliver controllers that can adapt and improve while in service. The education plan for this project is based on the idea that professional practice requires both a strong command of theory and the skill to apply theory to solve problems of practical import. As such, engineering practice is best learned with the assistance of a mentor who can provide both theoretical knowledge and practical coaching. The educational activities are geared toward fostering mentor/student relationships among faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and members of the general public outside the university community. These activities will be designed to integrate research into the undergraduate and graduate curriculums, to encourage students to pursue advanced degrees in computer science and engineering, and to educate the general public in the advantages of supporting computer science and engineering research in general.This CAREER award recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of a teacher-scholar who is likely to become an academic leader of the twenty-first century. The research will have broader impacts in addition to the educational benefits. Self-designing computational machines would be of enormous value both as tools in their own right and as generators of new design principles to be exploited by humans. Self-configuring devices would be invaluable in autonomous situations where they needed to remain in service for long periods of time or in environments where human adjustment was not practical. This research aims to establish the generality of the Evolvable Hardware framework, to provide immediately useful computational devices, and to expand basic scientific knowledge.