Cary Kornfeld to speak on hardware for neural nets & bitmapped graphics

[Lorien Y. Pratt]

			   Fall, 1988  
	       Neural Networks Colloquium Series 
			   at Rutgers  

	       Bitmap Graphics and Neural Networks
	       -----------------------------------

			  Cary Kornfeld
		     AT&T Bell Laboratories

	       Room 705 Hill center, Busch Campus  
	       Monday October 31, 1988 at 11:00 AM        
	    NOTE DAY AND TIME ARE DIFFERENT FROM USUAL
	       Refreshments served before the talk


        From the perspective of system architecture and  hardware
design,  bitmap  graphics  and  neural  networks are surprisingly
alike.

        I will  describe  two  key components   of   a   graphics
processor,  designed and fabricated at Xerox PARC, this engine is
based on Leo Guiba's Bitmap Calculus.   While implementing   that
machine  I  got  interested  in  building tiny, experimental flat
panel displays.  In  the  second   part  of  this  talk,  I  will
describe  a  few  of the early prototypes and (if facilities per-
mit), will show a short video clip of their operation.
        When I arrived at Bell  Labs  three  years  ago  I  began
building   larger  display   panels   using   amorphous  silicon,
thin film transistors on glass substrates.   It was this  display
work that gave  birth  to the idea of  fabricating  large  neural
networks using light sensitive synaptic elements.  In May of this
year we demonstrated working prototypes of these arrays in an ex-
perimental neuro-computer at the Atlanta COMDEX show.

        This is one of the first  neuro-computers  built  and  is
among  the largest.  Each of its 14,000 synapses is independently
programmable over a continuous range of connection strength  that
can  theoretically  span  more  than  five  orders  of  magnitude
(we've  measured about three  in  our  first-generation  arrays).
The  computer  has an animated, graphical user interface that en-
ables the operator to both monitor  and  control  its  operation.
This  machine  is  "programmed" to solve a pattern reconstruction
problem.  (Again, facilities permitting) I will show a video tape
of  its  operation  and  will demonstrate the user interface on a
color SUN 3.