What is My First Neuron?

My First Neuron is a toy "neural" system designed for teaching and play. The goal is to teach kids and older students something about neural processing, and possibly make them think that neurons are "cool".

To use My First Neuron, students connect the giant "neurons" together into circuits. They then adjust the various cell parameters via the dials on the cell body to achieve a desired behaviour. Internal membrane voltages can be measured using an oscilloscope connected to a terminal on the cell body. A "whisker" touch sensor and a "muscle" allow the circuits to interact with the external world.

My First Neuron features an audible piezo buzzer for indicating spiking activity and an LED bar graph for showing the internal membrane potential or output spikes. Either programmable digital or analog VLSI neuron models are available.. Excitatory and inhibitory synapses are supported; cell parameters can be adjusted at runtime via a set of dials. All components are designed for easy and safe use by children and students.