RetinaStudio: A bioinspired framework to encode visual information

The retina is a very complex neural structure, which performs spatial, temporal, and chromatic processing on visual information and converts it into a compact ‘digital’ format composed of neural impulses. This paper presents a new compiler-based framework able to describe, simulate and validate custom retina models. The framework is compatible with the most usual neural recording and analysis tools, taking advantage of the interoperability with these kinds of applications. Furthermore it is possible to compile the code to generate accelerated versions of the visual processing models compatible with COTS microprocessors, FPGAs or GPUs. The whole system represents an ongoing work to design and develop a functional visual neuroprosthesis. Several case studies are described to assess the effectiveness and usefulness of the framework.

Application-Based Analysis of Register File Criticality for Reliability Assessment in Embedded Microprocessors

There is an increasing concern to reduce the cost and overheads during the development of reliable systems. Selective protection of most critical parts of the systems represents a viable solution to obtain a high level of reliability at a fraction of the cost. In particular to design a selective fault mitigation strategy for processor-based systems, it is mandatory to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable registers in the register file as best candidates to be protected (hardened). This paper presents an application-based metric to estimate the criticality of each register from the microprocessor register file in microprocessor-based systems. The proposed metric relies on the combination of three different criteria based on common features of executed applications. The applicability and accuracy of our proposal have been evaluated in a set of applications running in different microprocessors. Results show a significant improvement in accuracy compared to previous approaches and regardless of the underlying architecture.