In this research paper, Numenta proposes a novel theoretical framework for understanding what the neocortex does and how it does it. The framework is based on grid cells and has significant implications for neuroscience and machine intelligence.
This companion piece explains the Thousand Brains Theory of Intelligence, one of the big ideas introduced in the October 2018 research paper A Framework for Intelligence and Cortical Function Based on Grid Cells in the Neocortex by Jeff Hawkins, Marcus Lewis, Scott Purdy, Mirko Klukas, and Subutai Ahmad. Written by non-neuroscientists, it can be read as a standalone piece or as a primer for the full research paper.
This paper describes an important component of HTM, the HTM spatial pooler, which is a neurally inspired algorithm that learns sparse distributed representations online. Written from a neuroscience perspective, the paper demonstrates key computational properties of the HTM spatial pooler.
This paper proposes a network model composed of columns and layers that performs robust object learning and recognition. The model introduces a new feature to cortical columns, location information, which is represented relative to the object being sensed.
This paper describes a cortical model for untangling sensorimotor from external sequences. It shows how a single neural mechanism can learn and recognize these two types of sequences: sequences where sensory inputs change due to external factors, and sequences where inputs change due to our own behavior (sensorimotor sequences).