Book excerpt: Neuromorphic systems are implementations in silicon of sensory and neural systems whose architecture and design are based on neurobiology. This growing area offers exciting possibilities, such as sensory systems that can compete with human senses and pattern recognition systems that can run in real time. It is at the intersection of neurophysiology, computer science and electrical engineering.This book brings together recent developments in Europe and the US, so that researchers in both academia and industry can find out about the state of the art. As well as elementary material on what neuromorphic systems are and why they are growing in importance, the book contains details of current work. There are articles on aspects of implementing sensory neuromorphic systems, and also on neuromorphic hardware.