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2026

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Parallel Nonlinear Neuromorphic Computing Based on Spatiotemporal Metasurfaces

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The teams of Hongsheng Chen and Chao Qian at Zhejiang University have proposed a parallel nonlinear neuromorphic processor that, by leveraging only the temporal encoding of spatiotemporal metasurfaces, enables arbitrary superpositions of information states across multidimensional channels. The authors experimentally validated their design using distributed spatiotemporal metasurfaces, demonstrating robust performance in multi‑label classification and asynchronous‑modulated multitask parallel processing. Furthermore, their nonlinear processor exhibits dynamic memory capabilities in real‑time responses to a prototypical maze‑solving task. This work paves a flexible pathway for developing diverse time‑modulated neuromorphic processors tailored to complex scenarios.

The research findings were published in Science Advances on July 29, 2026, under the title “Parallel nonlinear neuromorphic computing with temporal encoding.”

Figure 1: A parallel nonlinear metasurface processor with temporal encoding

Figure 2: Time‑nonlinear neural network mechanism based on a distributed spatiotemporal metasurface

Figure 3: Multi-tag recognition task based on a nonlinear metasurface processor

Figure 4: Demonstration of residual convolution operations and scalability in a nonlinear metasurface processor.

Figure 5: Nonlinear multitask demonstration with asynchronous modulation

Figure 6: Solving a maze problem using a nonlinear metasurface agent.

Source: Optics World