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The latter half of the twentieth century witnessed the emergence of an exciting new research discipline, which can be described by the umbrella term intelligent systems. An alternative term is computational intelligence. The emphasis in such research is to develop systems that attempt to mimic, albeit crudely at present, the intelligent characteristics of biological species. Research into such systems seeks to explore what we can learn from an improved understanding of the biological brain and to use this knowledge to replicate those aspects of natural systems which we would like to see in computational artifacts.
In the next 10 -20 years, we expect to see the rapid emergence of true intelligent computational systems. Such systems will not be confined to desktop machines but will pervade everyday activities. They will be seen in consumer applications, industry, healthcare and entertainment. The European Union has recognised the potential for such developments and has recently funded research initiatives such as "Life-like Perception ", "Beyond Robotics " and "Complex Systems" , and currently in FP7 "Cognitive Robotics ". The potential arises by the integration of recent developments in brain science, new developments in intelligent computational algorithms, developments in neuroscience research and improved capabilities in knowledge engineering.
The ISRC addresses the topic of intelligent systems in a number of critical areas. We work on a range of intelligent and hybrid technologies, including spiking neural networks, fuzzy systems, genetic / evolutionary algorithms, hybrid intelligent systems, reasoning, intelligent systems in cognitive robotics, wireless sensor networks, robot vision, emulation of sensory aspects of the biological brain in hardware and software, and brain computer interfacing.
There is a strong emphasis in the Centre on embedded systems, and in particular the incorporation of greater intelligence into mobile or wireless-enabled embedded systems. We are interested in self-organising and self-adapting computational systems and self-repair of complex embedded systems. Our Computational Neuroscience research team works closely with neuroscientists, biologists, clinicians and psychologists to ensure we fully exploit the latest understandings of brain science in our research.
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