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Ultra-Rapid Scene Categorization with a Wave of Spikes

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Biologically Motivated Computer Vision (BMCV 2002)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 2525))

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Abstract

Recent experimental work has shown that the primate visual system can analyze complex natural scenes in only 100–150 ms. Such data, when combined with anatomical and physiological knowledge, seriously constrains current models of visual processing. In particular, it suggests that a lot of processing can be achieved using a single feed-forward pass through the visual system, and that each processing layer probably has no more than around 10 ms before the next stage has to respond. In this time, few neurons will have generated more than one spike, ruling out most conventional rate coding models. We have been exploring the possibility of using the fact that strongly activated neurons tend to fire early and that information can be encoded in the order in which a population of cells fire. These ideas have been tested using SpikeNet, a computer program that simulates the activity of very large networks of asynchronously firing neurons. The results have been extremely promising, and we have been able to develop artificial visual systems capable of processing complex natural scenes in real time using standard computer hardware (see http://www.spikenet-technology.com).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Recherche Cerveau & Cognition, 133, route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France

    Simon Thorpe

  2. SpikeNet Technology S.A.R.L., Ave de Castelnaudary, 31250, Revel, France

    Simon Thorpe

Authors
  1. Simon Thorpe
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Spemannstraße 38, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Heinrich H. Bülthoff  & Christian Wallraven  & 

  2. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-ku, 136-701, Seoul, Korea

    Seong-Whan Lee

  3. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 45 Carleton Street, 02142, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Tomaso A. Poggio

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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Thorpe, S. (2002). Ultra-Rapid Scene Categorization with a Wave of Spikes. In: Bülthoff, H.H., Wallraven, C., Lee, SW., Poggio, T.A. (eds) Biologically Motivated Computer Vision. BMCV 2002. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2525. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36181-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36181-2_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-00174-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-36181-7

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