Lockheed Martin Looks to the Human Brain to Solve Complex Computing Challenges

CHERRY HILL, N.J., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- In the 1939 film adaptation of L.
Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow imagines a life "if I
only had a brain." Now 70 years later, engineers at Lockheed Martin's (NYSE:
LMT) Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL) are using brain-inspired computing
techniques to enable machines to think like humans.

And thinking like humans is vital if we expect computers to evolve from mere
number crunching tools to partners capable of ferreting out and then reasoning
about critical bits of information from staggering volumes of data from
thousands of sources.

Computers have a big advantage over humans when it comes to processing large
amounts of data accurately and quickly. Unlike humans, however, computers
lack the intellectual wherewithal to deduce and predict from that data an
object's behavior and patterns.

That's why brain-inspired computing is so important. It blends the processing
capability and speed of computing with the cognitive sophistication of a
human. Computers also have limited resources and can usually only solve
comparatively narrow, well-defined problems. They cannot learn as humans do,
cannot draw from past experiences, and have difficulty accurately and
consistently processing incomplete -- or fuzzy -- information.

The ramifications for national and local security will be significant if
technologists are able to someday apply the unique capabilities of the human
brain to help computers analyze the uncertainties and complexities of global
conflict, homeland security, terrorism, or local public safety.

In England, for example, there are about 4.2 million closed-circuit television
cameras that monitor a number of public venues, such as streets. The sheer
volume of video data gathered is staggering. But a relatively small number of
individuals view those video feeds -- and then must then make spot decisions
about suspicious behavior, patterns of activity, or events that could trigger
illegal activity or hostile action.

By mimicking the intricate network of the brain's neural pathways and
processes, ATL engineers are teaching computers to learn, manage information
overload, discover patterns, and discern human intent.

In short, these are computers that are beginning to think like humans. ATL's
research into brain-inspired computing extends into four areas. While the
areas target defense-related applications, the resulting technologies could
someday be applied to public venues where health and safety are important
concerns.

Brain Box: Teaching Computers to Learn. ATL engineers are teaching computers
to learn by using a building-block approach -- much the same way sentences
combine to form paragraphs. This lets computers adapt previously learned
concepts to new situations by reusing concepts that have meaning and
relevance. For example, children have a much easier time tying a bow on a
gift if they have already learned to tie their shoes.

Sensor Box:Managing the Overload. When faced with data overload, humans
routinely discount all but the most essential data needed to perform a task.
Computers cannot. ATL researchers are developing feature-extraction
technology that will let computers find prominent patterns in raw data and
transform them into single characteristics that can be classified.

Attentional Analysis: What's in That Image? With more visual data flooding
command centers than analysts can review, filtering portions of unimportant
imagery would save time, money, and mean greater mission success. ATL
engineers are using features -- color, line orientation, and brightness -- to
determine the relative importance of an image just as a human's visual
attention system tells the eyes where to look after turning on the living room
lights. Using this program, computers could analyze huge volumes of imagery
and only present analysts with the most relevant images.

Brain-Inspired Attentional Search: Mind Reading That Works. To search an
image database, a human uses a key word to find a particular photograph,
assuming that someone earlier correctly annotated the images for them to be
found. At the rate that visual data pours into command centers, annotating
every image is nearly impossible. ATL engineers are developing a
Brain-Inspired Attentional Search technology that will -- in effect -- read a
person's mind for the image being searched as related images flash by.
Sensors monitor the brain's electrical activity and chart a spike when the
analyst sees the desired image, even if the analyst didn't consciously "see"
it. Moving at a rate of 10 images per second, an analyst could search 600
photos a minute.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company
that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of
advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported
2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

www.lockheedmartin.com

SOURCE Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories

Stephen P. O'Neill of Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories,
+1-856-792-9815, soneill@atl.lmco.com