Bio-Inspired Machine Intelligence (BIMI) Laboratory

The Bio-Inspired Machine Intelligence (BIMI) Laboratory is to advance research in bio-inspired machine intelligence including mobile robotics and computational intelligence. The BIMI lab is directed by Dr. Jaerock Kwon and is part of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. To achieve true machine intelligence, the BIMI Lab has taken two different approaches: bottom-up data-driven and top-down theory-driven approaches. For the bottom-up data-driven approach, the neuronal structure of the brain has been investigated to understand its function. The development of a high-throughput and high-resolution 3D tissue scanner was a keystone of this approach. This tissue scanner has a 3D virtual microscope that allows us to investigate the neuronal structure of a whole mammalian brain in a high resolution. The top-down theory-driven approach is to study what true machine intelligence is and how it can be implemented. True intelligence cannot be investigated without embracing the theory-driven approach such as self-awareness, embodiment, consciousness, and computational modeling. Thus, the BIMI Lab has studied the internal dynamics of a neural system to investigate the self-awareness of a machine and model neural signal delay compensation. These two meet in the middle where machine intelligence is implemented for mechanical systems such as mobile robots and autonomous vehicles. The BIMI Lab is to bridge the data-driven and theory-driven approaches by which we will be able to conduct research focusing on mobile robotics and autonomous vehicles.