Electrochemical Bioelectronic Device Consisting of Metalloprotein for Analog Decision Making

We demonstrate an analog type logical device that combines metalloprotein and organic/inorganic materials and can make an interactive analog decision. Myoglobin is used as a functional biomolecule to generate electrochemical signals, and its original redox signal is controlled with various mercapto-acids by the distance effect between myoglobin and a metal surface in the process of electron transfer. Controlled signals are modulated with the introduction of inorganic materials including nanoparticles and metal ions. By forming a hybrid structure with various constituents of organic/inorganic materials, several functions for signal manipulation were achieved, including enhancement, suppression, and shift. Based on the manipulated signals of biomolecules, a novel logical system for interactive decision-making processes is proposed by selectively combining different signals. Through the arrangement of various output signals, we can define interactive logical results regulated by an inherent tendency (by metalloprotein), personal experience (by organic spacer sets), and environments (by inorganic materials). As a practical application, a group decision process is presented using the proposed logical device. The proposed flexible logic process could facilitate the realization of an artificial intelligence system by mimicking the sophisticated human logic process.