Image Edge Detection Based on Swarm Intelligence Using Memristive Networks

Recent advancements in the development of memristive devices has opened new opportunities for hardware implementation of new computing models. Researchers have shown the suitability of memristive devices for swarm intelligence algorithms to solve a maze in hardware. In this paper, we utilize swarm intelligence of memristive networks to perform image edge detection. First, we propose a hardware-friendly algorithm for image edge detection based on ant colony optimization. Second, we implement the image edge detection algorithm using memristive networks. Furthermore, we explain the impact of various parameters of the memristors on the efficacy of the implementation. Our results show 28% improvement in the energy compared to a low power CMOS hardware implementation based on stochastic circuits. Furthermore, our design occupies up to $5\boldsymbol \times $ less area.