Hutcheson

“The opportunity is there waiting for the company that can figure this out,” says Dan Hutcheson, an analyst at TechInsights.

“The potential for these devices is huge… the problem is how do you make them work,” sums up Mr Hutcheson, who predicts it will be at least a decade, if not two, before the benefits of neuromorphic computing are really felt.

Dr Hutcheson said the volunteers "got a real feeling they were partaking in something important if Digging for Britain takes notice of their work".

Dr Hutcheson, of the University of East Anglia's Sainsbury Institute, said they did not uncover evidence of "significant structures, such as large houses, being built".

Project director Andrew Hutcheson said: "For the volunteers, having Alice Roberts on site was magical for them."