A biologically motivated visual memory architecture for online learning of objects

We present a biologically motivated architecture for object recognition that is based on a hierarchical feature-detection model in combination with a memory architecture that implements short-term and long-term memory for objects. A particular focus is the functional realization of online and incremental learning for the task of appearance-based object recognition of many complex-shaped objects. We propose some modifications of learning vector quantization algorithms that are especially adapted to the task of incremental learning and capable of dealing with the stability-plasticity dilemma of such learning algorithms. Our technical implementation of the neural architecture is capable of online learning of 50 objects within less than three hours.