Sunny talks to Chris Eliasmith, a computer scientist and philosopher who’s been modelling cognitive systems for almost three decades. They discuss his neural engineering framework and the tools he and his team have developed to implement it, including SPAUN, the semantic pointer architecture universal network, and Nengo, their software interface. After the interview, discussion follows with Giulia and Ralph.
Articles and Papers
- SPAUN: A perception-cognition-action model using spiking neurons
- A large-scale model of the functioning brain
- Legendre Memory Units: Continuous-time representation in recurrent neural networks
- Building a behaving brain
- Exploiting semantic information in a spiking neural SLAM system
- A spiking neural model of decision making and the speed–accuracy trade- off
- Neural Engineering: Computation, representation and dynamics in neurobiological systems (see section 4.2 for discussions of rate and time coding with spikes)
From the discussion
- SpiNNaker/SpiNNCloud
- André van Schaik/Deep South
- International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems (home of Deep South)
- A neural representation of continuous space using fractional binding
- Swarm of micro flying robots in the wild
Episode Credits
Producer/Writer: Sunny Bains
Co-hosts: Sunny Bains and Giulia D’Angelo
Editor: Rose Gotto
Audio Production: Taylor Marvin, Coupe Studios Music and Sound Design
Music: 3 of Diamonds by Matt Harris
For EETimes.com
This episode is produced in conjunction with EETimes. Podcast reproduced with permission.



