An intelligent optoelectronic transistor can not only sense light but also remember and learn from what it has seen. Developed by researchers at KAUST and Peking University, the “optoelectronic synapse” uses an organic material called gDPP-MeOT2 — a light-absorbing polymer that can also store and transport ions.

“A conventional photodetector simply turns light into an electrical signal,” says Yazhou Wang, a postdoc in Sahika Inal’s lab who led the research. “Our device goes a step further – it can process and remember what it sees. Light triggers not only electronic signals but also ionic motion in the material, allowing the device to dynamically adjust its response over time, similar to how synapses in the brain strengthen or weaken with experience,” explains Wang.

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