Numerical Neuromorphic Vision and Optical Character Recognition without Floating-Point or Convolutional Networks

Computer vision has become synonymous with deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Vision Transformers (ViTs), requiring high-precision floating-point operations and millions of parameters. In this paper, we present an alternative vision paradigm designed entirely around integer-only neuromorphic operations. By mapping input pixels directly to localized 2D integer grids (active sensory boards), the system performs edge detection, shape orientation, and optical character recognition (OCR) using simple spatial voting patterns. Classification is achieved by intersecting active pixel coordinates with stored character sketches using binary voting. The entire pipeline operates with 8-bit integers (uint8_t) and additions, avoiding all matrix multiplications, backpropagation, and floating-point parameters.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-06-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20935201
Primary Topic
Advanced Memory and Neural Computing
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Numerical Neuromorphic Vision and Optical Character Recognition without Floating-Point or Convolutional Networks

Farnadi Badr
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Advanced Memory and Neural Computing
article

Numerical Neuromorphic Vision and Optical Character Recognition without Floating-Point or Convolutional Networks

Farnadi Badr
article en

Abstract

Computer vision has become synonymous with deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Vision Transformers (ViTs), requiring high-precision floating-point operations and millions of parameters. In this paper, we present an alternative vision paradigm designed entirely around integer-only neuromorphic operations. By mapping input pixels directly to localized 2D integer grids (active sensory boards), the system performs edge detection, shape orientation, and optical character recognition (OCR) using simple spatial voting patterns. Classification is achieved by intersecting active pixel coordinates with stored character sketches using binary voting. The entire pipeline operates with 8-bit integers (uint8_t) and additions, avoiding all matrix multiplications, backpropagation, and floating-point parameters.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Advanced Memory and Neural Computing
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.