Implement Column Pooler from htmresearch

[breznak]

Column Pooler, CP, is implemented in python in HTM research. Used for sensory-motor experiments, it extends functionality of TM.

[ctrl-z-9000-times]

Ive never heard of a column pooler, so what does it do? What features does the column pooler have which the SP / TM don't have?

[breznak]

there are papers on Column pooler and sensory-motor learning, "touch" experiments, invariant object representation. See eg https://numenta.com/assets/pdf/posters/CosynePoster_2017.pdf

[ctrl-z-9000-times]

We should incorporate the paper "Kropff & Treves 2008" into the column pooler. This paper describes simple modifications to the SP which make viewpoint invariance form naturally.

[Thanh-Binh]

@ctr-z-9000-times do you mean porting ColumnPooler from Python into c++? Or complete new ones?

[ctrl-z-9000-times]

I don't know, why do you ask? Im hoping to make a plan for this, but i dont have a plan yet.

[ctrl-z-9000-times]

@Thanh-Binh ,

do you mean porting ColumnPooler from Python into c++? Or complete new ones?

I'd like to write the column pooler in C++, because C++ is fast and its the common language that all other languages have bindings for. After done, it should be very similar to the current python version.

Conceptually, the column pooler is similar to the (SP + TM) system; it does many of the same things. I hope we can copy-paste a lot of code from SP&TM to Column Pooler.

Python Column Pooler: https://github.com/numenta/htmresearch/blob/master/htmresearch/algorithms/column_pooler.py

[Thanh-Binh]

@ctr-z-9000-times: understood. The c++ porting is straight forwards

[ctrl-z-9000-times]

FYI: The column pooler should also implement multiple proximal segments. Each cell's overlap is the maximum of its segment's overlaps.

[ctrl-z-9000-times]

I've started work on branch columnPooler2
https://github.com/htm-community/nupic.cpp/tree/columnPooler2

See file: src/nupic/algorithms/ColumnPooler.cpp
So far it is an incomplete list of todo notes.