While the human brain isn’t particularly quick at handling complex calculations, it performs a variety of tasks, such as image analysis, far more accurately than any computer. And, when it comes to energy efficiency, a brain beats a traditional computer with ease. Which is why it’s somewhat ironic that all the original attempts to model a brain were forced to use software running on traditional computers, since that was all we had.

Recently, however, there have been a variety of attempts to build hardware that acts more like a collection of neurons than anything that Apple or Intel have designed. While some of that uses traditional silicon-based transistors, other efforts have explored a relatively newer development, the memristor. Now, an international collaboration that includes everyone from HP to the Air Force has designed a memristor that behaves a bit more like a neuron: its recent activity influences how it responds. This is accomplished by allowing metal to diffuse within the solid memristor.

The idea behind the new design was apparently inspired by our understanding of neurons. In many cases, the activity of a neuron isn’t only set by the signals it’s receiving right at that instant. Instead, it has the biochemical equivalent of short-term memory. If it’s received signals in the recent past, it’s easier to activate that neuron by an additional signal. Over time, that memory fades, and the neuron goes back to its normal level of responsiveness.