Object Recognition Chip (ORC)

Synaptics has demonstrated that it is possible to design and produce a commercial integrated circuit capable of imaging and recognizing a single-font character set. This device-called the I1000-includes an area imager (silicon retina), two single-layer analog neural networks and digital control. It appears possible to extend the I1000 architecture to create a single chip capable of recognizing simple objects. This device-called ORC-will have electrically programmable parameters so that it can be tailored to the recognition of user-defined objects. The parameters are learned off-line in a computer systems simulating the ORC neural networks, but receiving actual images produced by the ORC silicon retina. The ORC will recognize objects despite some variation in scale, orientation, and shape of the objects. The basic objective of this research effort is to define the specific architecture of the ORC and assess its technological feasibility. The ultimate objective is to be able to produce a cost-effective general-purpose object recognizer for commercial and military applications.