Europe supports new biological approaches for Information and Communications Technology

Evolvable hardware, artificial cells, bidirectional interfaces between mechanical and living entities. These are all examples of how biology can be applied to ICT.

Tony Prescott, professor of cognitive
neuroscience at the University of Sheffield, heads the European project BIOTACT (BIOmimetic Technology for vibrissal ACtive Touch ) which investigates the tactile systems of whiskered animals such as rats and shrews in order create highly sensitive sensory technology. Additionally, One of Tony’s past European projects involved modelling a robot control system after the structure of a rat brain. Today, Tony is a consortium member of the Coordination Action of the Robot Companions for Citizens FET Flagship Initiative.