A neural network for processing sensory information. The network comprise one or more layers including interconnecting cells having individual states. Each cell is connected to one or more neighboring cells. Sensory signals and signals from interconnected neighboring cells control a current or a conductance within a cell to influence the cell's state. In some embodiments, the current or conductance of a cell can be controlled by a signal arising externally of the layer. Each cell can comprise an electrical circuit which receives an input signal and causes a current corresponding to the signal to pass through a variable conductance. The conductance is a function of the states of the one or more interconnecting neighboring cells. Proper interconnection of the cells on a layer can produce a neural network which is sensitive to predetermined patterns or the passage of such patterns across a sensor array whose signals are input into the network. The layers in the network can be made sensitive to distinct sensory parameters, so that networks which are sensitive to different wavelengths or polarizations of light energy can be produced.
Optoelectronic sensory neural network