A Chemical Sensor Array Inspired by Mouse Taste Buds

Jun Igarashi, Katsumi Tateno, Kazuki Nakada, Tsutomu Miki, Yoshitaka Ohtubo, Kiyonori Yoshii

Abstract: We made a chemical sensor array that detected the concentration of alcohol gas as the degree of synchronization of neural activity. The chemical sensor array consisted of three parts: the chemical sensor, the random pulse generator, and the stochastic synchronizer. The chemical sensor part was commercially available alcohol sensors. The random pulse generator and the stochastic synchronizer parts were implemented in a computer. Outputs of alcohol sensors charged integrate-and-fire cells in the random pulse generator part and caused these cells to fire spikes. These spikes equally converged on a pair of bursting cells in the stochastic synchronizer part and led to the synchronization of their bursting activity. The alcohol gas concentration monotonically increased the frequency of the random pulses and then increased the degree of burst synchronization on the two burst cells. As a result, the concentration of alcohol gas was detected as the degree of burst synchronization.