Northwestern University engineers developed a new brain-like electronic device inspired by the cerebellum, which consumes very little energy and detects novelties almost instantly. In proof-of-concept experiments, the device identified abnormal heart rhythms within one-fifth of a heartbeat and with more than 98% accuracy. The device also required roughly 10,000 times fewer computer operations than conventional artificial intelligence approaches. To build the device, the researchers used molybdenum disulfide and engineered an asymmetric transistor architecture in which one electrode partially overlapped the semiconductor through a thin insulating layer. Simply reversing the direction of the applied voltage switches the memtransistor between excitatory and inhibitory modes. The breakthrough could enable a new generation of low-power, always-on AI systems for wearable health monitors, self-driving automobiles, autonomous robots and cybersecurity systems. The study was published today (July 10) in the journal Nature Communications.