The “neuromime” is an electronic model of an organic nerve cell that can be interconnected in chains and loops. It is released here as an open-source hardware project in a collaborative effort by artists Norman White (original concept and design) and Peter Flemming (revision, expansion). Neuromimes are intended for (but not limited to) use in the creation of electro-physical artworks. Neuromimes can also function as the modular core of laboratory-style workshops where participants collectively generate an artwork for exhibition. Neuromimes are extensible building blocks, ideally suited to a collective making setting and/or generative, interactive artworks. Reminiscent of an exquisite corpse, they provide a framework that, while structured, is not scripted.
LINKS
Norman White speaking on the Neuromime at Interaccess (8'00"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue9ZF_hO-PE
Norman White on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_White
Norman White's website with other projects: http://normill.ca/
Peter Flemming's website with other projects: http://peterflemming.net
PROPERTIES OF AN ORGANIC NEURON
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All-or-Nothing – It either fires completely or not at all (in this way it is "digital").
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Temporal Summation – It can be made to fire by triggering one dendrite receptor repeatedly over time.
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Spatial Summation – It can be made to fire by triggering several of its dendrite receptors simultaneously or virtually so.
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Latency – It takes awhile for the impulse to travel from the dendrite receptor(s) along the axon to the output points (terminals).
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Refractory Period – Once fired, it rests awhile before it can respond to stimuli again.
TECHNICAL
-these folders contains files for a printed circuit board generated with KiCad, build: (2012-apr-16-27), http://www.kicad-pcb.org
-important technical annotation is contained in Norman's original schematic in the "ref" folder
-supplementary files (other schematics, visual information) are in the folder "ref"
-see the index below for detailed description of folder contents and files
INDEX (most folders have a detailed index as well)
1.0.0/
---this folder contains the Neuromime board files, schematics, fabrication outputs (Gerber etc.) done in KiCad
kicadlibs/
---folder contains footprint and schematic device libraries used in Neuromime not included in standard KiCad
ref/
---folder for supplementary files (Norman's original schematic, other visual information etc.)
LICENSE.txt
---Creative Commons license
README.md
---this file
TODO.txt
---errors, to do, future versions, suggestions, comments