根据华盛顿州立大学 (WSU) 的研究人员的说法，类脑计算机芯片的未来可能在于……蜂蜜。
According to researchers at Washington State University (WSU), the future of neuromorphic computer chips may lie in … honey.
参与研究的科学家称这项技术将会为可持续的，可生物降解和极快的计算铺平道路。
Scientists involved in the study claim that this technology could be paving the way for sustainable, bio-degradable, and overwhelmingly fast computing.
当你想象计算机芯片时，蜂蜜不太可能会是第一个想到的东西，但是华盛顿州立大学的工程师相信这将是是计算机变得对环境友好，同时仍然具有能模拟人类大脑的能力的钥匙。这种模拟人脑中神经元工作方式的计算方式被称为类脑计算。
Honey is hardly the first thing to come to mind when you imagine a computer chip, but WSU engineers believe that it could be the key to making computing eco-friendly while also being powerful enough to mimic the workings of a human brain. This form of computing, made to simulate how the neurons in our brains work, is referred to as neuromorphic.
虽然我们中的很多人都对现在计算机的进步而感到印象深刻（这个蜂蜜芯片的研究就是证据），我们的大脑比这更优秀。这就是为什么类脑计算有些时候被认为是科技的未来——因为人脑仍然可以以计算机无法完成的方式处理，分析和适应，而计算机可以以比人脑快得多的速度处理大量的数据，在需要创造性地处理问题时，我们仍然占上风。
Although many of us may be impressed with how advanced computers are these days (let this new honey-based finding be the proof of that), our own brains are far more impressive still. That is why neuromorphic computing is sometimes thought of as the future of technology — because the human brain can still process, analyze, and adapt to what it sees in ways that a computer cannot. While computers can process tremendous amounts of data much faster than a human being could, we still retain the upper ground when it comes to approaching problems creatively.
类脑计算是一个连接人脑和科技的桥梁，使得自动系统能模拟出一个接近人类意识的东西。这样的系统将会比现在最好的电脑更快且能耗更低。现在看起来蜂蜜将是使这样一个有着未来感的机器更能可持续发展的一部分。
Neuromorphic computing is meant to serve as a bridge between the human brain and technology, enabling autonomous systems that can simulate something close to human cognition. Such systems are meant to be much faster and less power-hungry than even the best PCs currently available. Now, it seems that honey could play a part in making these futuristic devices a lot more sustainable for our planet.
忆阻器能够在内存中处理和存储数据，就像人脑一样。
A memristor is capable of both processing and storing data in memory, much the way a human brain can.
华盛顿州立大学的工程师能够用蜂蜜制造出功能正常的忆阻器。 忆阻器是一种类似于晶体管的组件，它能够处理和存储内存中的数据，就像人脑一样。 这些设备非常小——在这项研究中，忆阻器是人类头发的宽度，但它需要做得更小才能在未来达到预期目的。
The engineers at WSU were able to create a functioning memristor out of honey. A memristor is a component similar to a transistor, and it’s capable of both processing and storing data in memory, much the way a human brain can. These devices are infinitesimally small — in the case of this study, the memristor was the width of a human hair, but it needs to be made much smaller in order to serve its intended purpose in the future.
目标大小将是人类头发直径的千分之一，这意味着这些忆阻器将需要以纳米级别制造。因为制造完整，能正常工作的类脑计算机即使不需要数十亿个忆阻器，也仍需要几百万个。作为对比，人脑中有着1000亿个神经元，以及超过1000万亿个突触。
The target size will be around 1/1000 of a human hair, meaning these memristors will need to be developed on a nanoscale. This is because millions, if not billions, of memristors, are going to be used in building a full, functioning, high-performance neuromorphic computing system. As a means of comparison, the human brain has over 100 billion neurons, or, over 1,000 trillion synapses.
华盛顿州立大学工程与计算机科学学院副教授Zhao Feng与研究生 Brandon Sueoka 共同完成了这项研究。 Zhao将蜂蜜制成的忆阻器与人类神经元进行了比较，称它具有非常相似的功能，同时保持了非常小的尺寸。
Feng Zhao, associate professor of Washington State University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, was the co-author of the study alongside a graduate student, Brandon Sueoka. Zhao compared the honey-made memristor to a human neuron, stating that it has very similar functionalities while retaining a very small size.
为了实现预期的效果，科学家们使用了真实的蜂蜜。他们将蜂蜜加工成为一种放在两个金属电极之间的固体——这是对于人体中突触的模拟。在研究中他们发现蜂蜜成功地模拟了人脑突触工作的方式。这是通过设备以类似于人脑的速度（在 100 到 500 纳秒之间）快速打开和关闭的能力来衡量的。
In order to achieve the desired effect, the scientists used true honey. They processed it into a solid form which was then placed between two metal electrodes — a simulation of a human synapse. Through research, they were able to discover that the honey memristor successfully emulated the way human synapses work. This was measured by the device’s ability to quickly switch on and off at a speed similar to the human brain — between 100 and 500 nanoseconds.
看起来蜂蜜制成的忆阻器在类脑计算上很有前途，而且它们有另一个好处——完全可生物降解。虽然研究团队也发现了一些其他的有机材料，比如蛋白质和糖，但是蜂蜜是目前来说最好的材料。
It definitely seems that honey memristors could be promising in terms of performance when it comes to neuromorphic computing, but they have another obvious perk — they’re fully biodegradable. While the team has also explored using other organic materials, such as proteins and sugars, honey seems to be the winner so far.
“蜂蜜不会变质。 它的水分浓度非常低，因此细菌无法在其中生存。 这意味着这些计算机芯片将在很长一段时间内非常稳定可靠。”Zhao Feng说。 “当我们想要处理使用由蜂蜜制成的计算机芯片的设备时，我们可以很容易地将它们溶解在水中。 由于这些特殊特性，蜂蜜对于创建可再生和可生物降解的神经形态系统非常有用。”
“Honey does not spoil. It has a very low moisture concentration, so bacteria cannot survive in it. This means these computer chips will be very stable and reliable for a very long time,” said Feng Zhao. “When we want to dispose of devices using computer chips made of honey, we can easily dissolve them in water. Because of these special properties, honey is very useful for creating renewable and biodegradable neuromorphic systems.”
该团队将其发现发表在《物理学杂志 D：应用物理学》杂志上。 当然，研究人员还有很长的路要走，才能在整个行业可能使用的任何地方实施这项技术。 然而，第一个关键步骤已经完成。 下次您在茶中添加一勺蜂蜜时，记得有一天（注意是在遥远的未来），一台计算机也是由相同的物质制成的。
The team published its findings in an issue of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. Of course, the researchers have a long way to go before implementing this technology anywhere near something that might be used by the industry at large. However, the first crucial steps have already been made. Next time you add a spoonful of honey to your tea, consider that one day (in some distant future, mind you), you might be using a computer that runs on that very same substance.
原文：Future computer chips may be made out of honey | Digital Trends
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