A Resurgence in Neuromorphic Architectures Enabling Remote Sensing Computation

Technological advances have enabled exponential growth in both sensor data collection, as well as computational processing. However, as a limiting factor, the transmission bandwidth in between a space-based sensor and a ground station processing center has not seen the same growth. A resolution to this bandwidth limitation is to move the processing to the sensor, but doing so faces size, weight, and power operational constraints. Different physical constraints on processor manufacturing are spurring a resurgence in neuromorphic approaches amenable to the space-based operational environment. Here we describe historical trends in computer architecture and the implications for neuromorphic computing, as well as give an overview of how remote sensing applications may be impacted by this emerging direction for computing.