7th April 2009

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Computational Intelligence research at the Magee Campus will ultimately lead to the development of intelligent machines, robots and systems that will improve the quality of our lives, according to University of Ulster academic Professor Liam Maguire, Head of School of Computing and Intelligent Systems.

Speaking to an invited audience at his inaugural professorial lecture on ‘Spiking Up Computational Intelligence’, Professor Maguire gave an overview of Computational Intelligence and its everyday applications.  

“Computational Intelligence describes the area of research that emulates the intelligent characteristics of biological species for problem solving and how an improved understanding of the biological brain can replicate those aspects of natural systems we would like to see in computational artifacts. The techniques include: neural networks (how we learn); fuzzy systems (how we make decisions); and evolutionary computing (the evolution of mankind).” 

Professor Maguire said that Computational Intelligence research has been characterised by an increasing emphasis on providing biological plausibility and encouraging the integration of different techniques. 

“Recent developments have introduced spiking neurons which closely resemble the current understanding of neural mechanisms within the human brain.  Such models range from computationally efficient yet biologically implausible models to more biologically accurate approaches that are associated with huge computational overheads. This trade-off can be overcome by drawing on advances from neuroscience research to determine those biological features that improve computational capability and yet enable effective description of the inherent neuron dynamics.”

He continued: “Current research has presented network architectures and introduced learning strategies for this new generation of spiking neural networks.  However, our long-term challenge is to provide a computational approach that implements learning and reasoning in a human fashion.  Highlighting some everyday applications of computational intelligence, including the automatic control of a car, the analysis of medical data and improved product quality in a manufacturing plant, Professor Maguire outlined his recent research on spiking neural networks and investigations on how the brain deals with vision and sound senses to create an artificial approach to such sensory processing.  

"This research contributes to the area of building artificial brains where researchers are developing approaches to re-create the capabilities of the human brain in hardware.  The application for such work will ultimately be in the development of intelligent machines, robots and systems that will improve the quality of our lives.”    

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter