# Tobi Delbrück Talks Caltech, Cameras, and Neural Control

- Show: [EE Times Current](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current)
- Published: 2024-01-25
- Length: 46m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control
- Listen: https://podcast.show/aspencore/episode/128799098/

## Summary

Professor Tobi Delbrück of the Institute of Neuroinformatics in Zurich discusses his career starting with Carver Mead at Caltech, where he helped pioneer neuromorphic engineering and the Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS). He explains the transition from subthreshold analog circuits to digital neural accelerators that exploit sparsity for energy efficiency, and outlines current work applying these principles to nonlinear model predictive control for agile robotics. The episode also covers the history and failure of the Phobian stacked-pixel camera and the importance of making neuromorphic hardware usable for the broader community.

## Chapters

- [0:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control#t=2) Introduction and Early Career at Caltech
- [3:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control#t=190) The Caltech Lab and Early Chip Fabrication
- [6:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control#t=361) Synaptics, Phobian, and the DVS Camera
- [9:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control#t=552) Sparsity and Neural Accelerators
- [12:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control#t=759) Neuromorphic Control for Robotics
- [16:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control#t=982) Analog vs. Digital and Subthreshold Circuits
- [22:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control#t=1379) Usability and Community Building
- [24:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2024-01-25-tobi-delbruck-talks-caltech-cameras-and-neural-control#t=1462) Commentary on Phobian and Attention

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Carver Mead (other)
- Caltech (other)
- Institute of Neuroinformatics (other)
- Dynamic Vision Sensor (product)
- Synaptics (company)
- Phobian (company)
- National Semiconductor (company)
- MOSES (other)
- Hopfield Network (other)
- Misha Mahowald (other)
- Christophe Koch (other)
- Chichi Liu (other)
- Cheng Gao (other)
- T.U. Delft (other)
- Johns Hopkins University (other)
- Ralph Etienne-Cummings (other)
- Sunny Bains (other)
- Julia D'Angelo (other)
- George Gilder (other)
- The Silicon Eye (other)

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## Citing this page

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