Spiking Neural Networks -- Part I: Detecting Spatial Patterns
It provides an introductory overview for engineers on SNNs, focusing on mimicking ANN functionality for spatial pattern detection, which is incremental as it reviews existing methods.
The paper introduces Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) to engineers, covering models, algorithms, and applications for detecting spatial patterns in rate-encoded spiking signals, with validation through experiments.
Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) are biologically inspired machine learning models that build on dynamic neuronal models processing binary and sparse spiking signals in an event-driven, online, fashion. SNNs can be implemented on neuromorphic computing platforms that are emerging as energy-efficient co-processors for learning and inference. This is the first of a series of three papers that introduce SNNs to an audience of engineers by focusing on models, algorithms, and applications. In this first paper, we first cover neural models used for conventional Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and SNNs. Then, we review learning algorithms and applications for SNNs that aim at mimicking the functionality of ANNs by detecting or generating spatial patterns in rate-encoded spiking signals. We specifically discuss ANN-to-SNN conversion and neural sampling. Finally, we validate the capabilities of SNNs for detecting and generating spatial patterns through experiments.