Memristive neuromorphic interfaces: integrating sensory modalities with artificial neural networks

The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to exponential growth in data generated from sensors, requiring efficient methods to process complex and unstructured external information. Unlike conventional von Neumann sensory systems with separate data collection and processing units, biological sensory systems integrate sensing, memory, and computing to process environmental information in real time with high efficiency. Memristive neuromorphic sensory systems using memristors as their basic components have emerged as promising alternatives to CMOS-based systems. Memristors can closely replicate the key characteristics of biological receptors, neurons, and synapses by integrating the threshold and adaptation properties of receptors, the action potential firing in neurons, and the synaptic plasticity of synapses. Furthermore, through careful engineering of their switching dynamics, the electrical properties of memristors can be tailored to emulate specific functions, while benefiting from high operational speed, low power consumption, and exceptional scalability. Consequently, their integration with high-performance sensors offers a promising pathway toward realizing fully integrated artificial sensory systems that can efficiently process and respond to diverse environmental stimuli in real time. In this review, we first introduce the fundamental principles of memristive neuromorphic technologies for artificial sensory systems, explaining how each component is structured and what functions it performs. We then discuss how these principles can be applied to replicate the four traditional senses, highlighting the underlying mechanisms and recent advances in mimicking biological sensory functions. Finally, we address the remaining challenges and provide prospects for the continued development of memristor-based artificial sensory systems.