From Configurable Circuits to Bio-Inspired Systems

Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are large, fast integrated circuits — that can be modified, or configured, almost at any point by the end user. Within the domain of configurable computing we distinguish between two modes of configurability: static—where the configurable processor’ s configuration string is loaded once at the outset, after which it does not change during execution of the task at hand, and dynamic— where the processor’ s configuration may change at any moment. This chapter describes six applications in the domain of configurable computing, considering both static and dynamic systems, including: SPYDER (a reconfigurable processor development system), RENCO (a reconfigurable network computer), an FPGA-based backpropagation neural network, Firefly (an evolving machine), BioWatch (a self- repairing watch), and FAST (a neural network with a flexible, adaptable-size topology). Moreover, we argue that the rise of configurable computing requires a fundamental change in the engineering curriculum, toward which end we present the LABOMAT board, developed for use by students in hardware design courses. While static configurability mainly aims at attaining the classical computing goal of improving performance, dynamic configurability might bring about an entirely new breed of hardware devices — ones that are able to adapt within dynamic environments.