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Pioneering Research Air Force grant launches first U.S. Neuromorphic Imaging and Digital Twins Lab

Elizabeth Grisham
Mason Science Associate Professor Harbir Antil and Professor Rainald Lohner

Harbir Antil, principal investigator and director of the Center for Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence (CMAI) and Rainald Löhner, co-principal investigator and director of the Computational Fluid Dynamics Lab, received funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). This grant, awarded under the prestigious Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), is earmarked for the creation of a groundbreaking Neuromorphic Imaging and Digital Twins Lab. This is the second DURIP award received by the PIs from AFOSR; the previous used to procure a high-performance computing cluster.

This pioneering facility, the first of its kind in the nation, will be housed within the CMAI at George Mason University and will feature advanced equipment for neuromorphic imaging, neuromorphic computing, and digital twins. The lab aims to not only enhance research capabilities at George Mason but also serve the needs of local organizations and beyond.

Neuromorphic sensors, a key component of this project, differ from traditional cameras by detecting changes in pixel intensity asynchronously rather than synchronously. This innovative approach allows neuromorphic sensors to sample data at a micro- second level, capturing dynamic scenes with unprecedented clarity.

“This technology will significantly improve image and video quality for devices such as phones, planes, drones, and others that are affected by motion blur, high contrast conditions, and limited power and memory,” Antil explained.

The lab will serve as a testbed for developing new algorithms and deploying this advanced hardware in practical settings. The generated data will be used to refine algorithms for object recognition, motion detection, and scene understanding. “We are currently procuring neuromorphic cameras, drones, and audio sensors to start our testing phase,” Antil noted.

Additionally, the lab will be an open resource for neighboring institutions, including academic entities, national labs like the U.S. Naval Research Lab and Air Force Research Laboratory, industries, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It is expected to have a national impact on various fields, including the Air Force, Space Force, civil engineering, and machine learning.

For years, Antil organized workshops and conferences to advance Digital Twin technologies and computational mathematics. For instance, the NSF funded 2023 workshop on Mathematical Opportunities in Digital Twins helped shape various initiatives and foster a Digital Twins community. Last June, George Mason hosted the eighth annual International Conference on Computational and Mathematical Biomedical Engineering, which brought together leading researchers and academics to discuss recent advancements in the field. This workshop was co- organized by Antil; Löhner; Juan Cebral, professor in the College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason; and Perumal Nithiarasu from Swansea University.

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