An Artificial Flexible Visual Memory System Based on an UV‐Motivated Memristor

TLDR

Human visual memory requires devices that can sense light and store image information, yet current image sensors lose data once the stimulus is removed. The study aims to integrate image sensors with memory devices to create a flexible visual memory system that can sense and retain light information. The authors design a UV‑motivated memristor‑based architecture that flexibly senses UV light patterns and stores them in a visual memory array. The UV‑memristor array can detect, retain, and reset UV light patterns over long periods, demonstrating reusable visual memory suitable for wearable electronics, robotic vision, and assistive devices.

Abstract

For the mimicry of human visual memory, a prominent challenge is how to detect and store the image information by electronic devices, which demands a multifunctional integration to sense light like eyes and to memorize image information like the brain by transforming optical signals to electrical signals that can be recognized by electronic devices. Although current image sensors can perceive simple images in real time, the image information fades away when the external image stimuli are removed. The deficiency between the state-of-the-art image sensors and visual memory system inspires the logical integration of image sensors and memory devices to realize the sensing and memory process toward light information for the bionic design of human visual memory. Hence, a facile architecture is designed to construct artificial flexible visual memory system by employing an UV-motivated memristor. The visual memory arrays can realize the detection and memory process of UV light distribution with a patterned image for a long-term retention and the stored image information can be reset by a negative voltage sweep and reprogrammed to the same or an other image distribution, which proves the effective reusability. These results provide new opportunities for the mimicry of human visual memory and enable the flexible visual memory device to be applied in future wearable electronics, electronic eyes, multifunctional robotics, and auxiliary equipment for visual handicapped.