Project:	Build a Silicon Retina
Discipline:	Electrical Engineering
Mentor:	Kwabena Boahen, Professor, (EAS), boahen@stanford.edu, Phone: 650-787-5966
Background:	NOTE: This project is being offered by a Caltech alum and is open only to Caltech students. The project will be conducted at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. There is much interest today in creating high speed and low power visual sensors—areas like robotics and autonomous driving depend on them. But how do we make such sensors? One thing we can do is turn to biology for inspiration. The retina is exceptionally good at taking in large amounts of visual data and condensing it into only what is necessary for the brain.
Description:	What if we created an electronic vision sensor that—in a similar way to the biological retina—quickly condenses visual data into only what's important? You will get to work on designing and simulating this "silicon retina" and also learn about the biological mechanisms that inspire its design.
References:	https://web.stanford.edu/group/brainsinsilicon/documents/05_journ_SciAm_NeurmorphChips.pdf
Student Requirements:	Circuits and signal processing
Programs:	This AO can be done under the following programs:   Program    Available To        SURF    Caltech students only  Click on a program name for program info and application requirements.