1. A computer-implemented system for determining an identity of a sensed object or a state of sensed object associated with spatial patterns and temporal sequences in input data provided by a sensor, the input data representing at least one of image, video, audio, text, weather conditions, tactile data or data associated with operation of a machine, comprising: a hierarchy of computing modules configured to receive first input data to learn spatial patterns and temporal sequences in the first input data associated with a sensed object or a state of a sensed object in a learning stage, the hierarchy in an inference stage subsequent to the learning stage further configured to receive second input data and generate identity information about spatial patterns and temporal sequences in the second input data corresponding to the spatial patterns and temporal sequences learned by the hierarchy in the learning stage, the hierarchy of computing modules comprising: a plurality of first computing modules, each first computing module configured to receive a portion of the second input data and generate first information about sequences in the received portion of the second input data corresponding to learned spatial patterns and temporal sequences; a relay module configured to receive and select the first information generated by the plurality of the first computing modules; and a second computing module configured to generate the identity information based on the first information selected by the relay module, wherein the identity information is one of displayed, output for controlling a physical object or stored in a storage medium, for identification of a sensed object or a state of a sensed object.