It's been the stuff of science fiction since it was deemed theoretically possible in the 1970s. But Sharath Sriram and his research team at RMIT have finally cracked it. They have built an artificial memory cell that could one day function as the grey matter in a bionic brain.

Capable of mimicking the human brain and the way it stores information over the long term, the brain-like system can also "learn", simultaneously process and store multiple strands of information and is quick to retrieve information.

Associate Professor Sharath Sriram, pictured with an optical chip, must wear a protective suit when working in the lab. Credit:RMIT

At its most advanced application, the tiny cell could replace humans in medical trials because the bionic brain could be "programmed" to contain flaws such as dementia, allowing new medications to be tested.

More immediately, the memory cell can be used to create smarter computers, USB sticks with 16 times the capacity of existing memory sticks and self-drive vehicles capable of learning from their experiences on the roads.