Special Seminar
Name: Dr. Isao H. Inoue
Affiliation: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan
Title: Slow Electronics: Harnessing Time for Ultra-Low-Power Edge Devices
Date & Time: Wednesday, 12th November 2025 at 04:00 p.m.
Venue: Rajarshi Bhattacharyya Memorial Lecture Hall, Chemical Sciences Building
Abstract:
Phones, wearables, and home sensors all live at the “network’s edge”―right where we are. This is where our privacy is most precious, and where our batteries constantly drain. Slow Electronics is a simple idea with a powerful payoff: many of the world’s most important signals―from our blood pressure to the climate in our rooms―change slowly. So, why not let our electronics also think at this natural, unhurried pace? Our approach has three key ingredients. First, we build tiny electronic components with a built-in ‘memory’ that lasts from milliseconds to minutes, like a glowing ember. Second, we arrange them into a special network that acts like a calm pond, creating complex ripples from simple data while sipping power. Finally, we use clever, lightweight algorithms that learn to read these ripples, automatically discovering the hidden routines and rhythms in your data. The result is powerful insight delivered right on your device― timely alerts and gentle predictions―all while your personal, raw data stays safely with you, never sent to the cloud. In this talk, I will show you the working pieces of this puzzle and how they fit together to create a new generation of ultra-low-power, truly human-centred technology
References:
[1] Chen, X. et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 122, 074102 (2023);
[2] Inoue, H. et al. Adv. Mater. 37, e2407326 (2025);
[3] Pati, S. P. et al. Commun. Mater. 5, 1–9 (2024);
[4] Tanaka, G. et al. Neural Netw. 115, 100–123 (2019);
[5] Tamura, H. & Tanaka, G. Neural Netw. 143, 550–563 (2021).
Biography of the Speaker:
Isao H. Inoue is Chief Senior Researcher at AIST (Tsukuba). He earned his BSc/MSc/DSc in Physics at the University of Tokyo, started working at the Electrotechnical Laboratory (ETL, ancestor of AIST), and was a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge. He also holds cross-appointments at the University of Tsukuba and Tokyo University of Science. His research connects neat physics to useful gadgets―from quantum materials and ferroelectric superconductivity to “Slow Electronics” for energy-frugal, near-human devices