Max Planck Institutes and Experts

Semiconductor chips and neuronal systems can be electrically coupled on a microscopic level. This research provides the fundament for an application of such hybrid processors in brain research, neuroprosthetics and information technology. On the neuronal side, ion channels, nerve cells and brain tissue are employed. On the electronic side, simple silicon chips with transistors and capacitors are used for the elucidation of the coupling mechanism. On that basis, complex chips are developed with more that 30000 contact sites to supervise neuronal activity with highest spatial resolution.

How do we recognize objects? How do we interpret facial expressions? Can we teach computers to see and understand? In this article, we present several research areas of the department "Human Perception, Cognition and Action" of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics. The department employs methods from computer vision, computer graphics, and psychophysics in order to understand fundamental processes in perception and cognition.

The development of computational models for biological processes opens the possibility to predict new effects of virtual targeted perturbations that can in turn be validated by experimental observations. Such predictions are highly relevant for many practical applications, for example the development of new drugs. Through the last years, the Bioinformatics group has been developing different tools, methods, and databases that support the computational modeling of biological processes, such as the pathway integration database ConsensusPathDB and the modeling system PyBioS.

Non-volatile solid state memories of high memory density are a promising research field, both under technological and fundamental aspects. Since the size of a single memory cell must be clearly below 100 nanometer, and the properties of storage materials can be considerably modified at such low size, the development of suitable preparation methods and the property analysis of the thus prepared memory cells represent considerable challenges. Such investigations are part of the research on nanostructured materials at Max Planck Institute of Microsctructure Physics in Halle.

The interaction of structure and magnetism of intermetallic compounds depends on the local as well as on the periodic assembly of the atoms. In order to understand the contribution of the local properties investigations by means of appropriate methods are necessary. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy seams to by highly suited for this task.