The Brain and Brainway Computer

Author: Matsumoto Gen
Affiliation: Brainway Group, Brain Science Institute (BSI), The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) (Wako, Japan)
Conference/Journal: J Intl Soc Life Info Science
Date published: 1998
Other: Volume ID: 16 , Issue ID: 2 , Pages: 300-308 , Word Count: 200


The brain works as a system which is capable not only of acquiring algorithms for information processing automatically, but also of selecting information it is to process. To elucidate the algorithms structurally as to how they are acquired leads to an understanding of how the brain grows by itself. This also mean identifying what factors are essential for our mental growth, and therefore, at least partly, to answer to the question 'What is human being?'. Further, it may enable development of a novel information processing system as in an engineering realization of a Brainway computer; i.e., a computer with an operating principle which is the same as the brain's. The Brainway computer can select information to process by itself, and to also acquire algorithms for the processing of the selected information by itself. Realization of the Brainway computer would confirm the brain operation principle as well. The Brainway computer may be considered as supplementary to exiting computer that work by following programs. In this paper, we some brain science which places its standpoint on an approach so-called 'Creating the Brain', and we present some research and development on the Brainway computer as an engineering counterpart of the brain.