CLAYTRONICS

CLAYTRONICS

M.SRIKRISHNASWATHI M.HEMALATHA III/IV CSE III/IV CSE Email:srikrishnaswathi@gmail.com Email:mundruhema@gmail.com

TIRUMALA ENGINEERING COLLEGE

Abstract:Today, computing engages a user’s

senses of sight and hearing through video

and audio devices whose effects the user

must integrate in his or her mind. Suppose

that electronic media could offer users an

active form of original information that

would fully integrate sight and sound and

add the sense of touch for the user

experience.

Suppose that the person using

information could interact physically with

it. This is the concept of claytronics, which

is also known as programmable matter.

Through this medium, users would engage

with information in realistic, 3-dimensional

forms represented in the immediacy of the

user’s personal space Claytronics

technology combines nano-robotics and

large-scale computing to create synthetic

reality, a revolutionary 3-dimensional

display of information. The vision behind

this research is to provide users with

tangible forms of electronic information

that express the appearance in actions of

original sources. The clay would be made

out of millions of tiny microprocessors

called catoms (for “claytronic atoms “),

each less than a millimeter wide. The

catoms would bond electro-statically and be

molded into different shapes when

instructed by software.

Introduction:

Claytronics is nothing but making a

machine intelligent. The idea is simple:

make basic computers housed in tiny

spheres that can connect to each other and

rearrange themselves, which is similar to

Modular- Robotics.Modular self-

reconfiguring robotic systems or self-

reconfigurable modular robots are

autonomous kinematic machines with

variable morphology which helps them to

change their own shape deliberately by

rearranging the connectivity of their parts.

Catoms:

With claytronics, millions of tiny individual

devices -- "claytronic atoms" or "catoms" --

would assemble into macro-scale objects,

connecting and disconnecting as they move.

Each catom is less than a millimetre in

diameter.

With billions you could make almost any

object you wanted.Catoms are described as

being similar in nature to a nano-machine,

but with greater power and complexity.

While microscopic individually, they bond

and work together on a larger scale. Catoms

can change their density, energy levels,

state of being, and other characteristics

using thought alone. These catoms are

designed to form much larger scale

machines or mechanisms. Also known as

"programmable matter", the catoms will be

sub-millimetre computers that will

eventually have the ability to move around,

communicate with each others, change

colour, and electrostatically connect to other

catoms to form different shapes. The forms

made up of catoms could morph into nearly

any object, even replicas of human beings

for virtual meetings.

Programmable matter:

Any physical substance whose properties

(or apparent properties) can be adjusted

precisely and repeatedly through electrical

or optical stimulation may be referred to as

programmable matter. Programmable

matter is an ensemble of material that

contains sufficient local computation,

actuation, storage, energy, sensing and

communication, which can be programmed

to form different dynamic shapes and

configurations.Catoms will be so small that

electric forces will be more important than

gravity so they’re using helium filled cubes

to test how catoms will work when gravity

is no longer the dominate

force.Programmers have to create a system

where catoms can communicate wirelessly

over relatively long ranges and with little

power. In a single cubic meter, there could

be a billion catoms.

That means a billion computers trying to

talk to each other and move themselves to

form a shape. It’s a daunting task but it’s

helped by a great concept known as

“fungibility” anything which is fungible,

not only is twice as many twice as useful,

its half as many is half as useful. Right now,

computers are not fungible. With

programmable matter, they would be. That

same cubic meter of a billion catoms is

essentially a network of a billion

computers.That’s a lot of computational

power – more than enough to organize it

into different shapes. And if the computer

was separated into sections, the overall

computing power would still be the

same.Programmable matter and fungible

computers will allow you to “pour out” as

much computer as you need to solve a

problem. The amount of computational

strength you need would be matched by a

physical quantity in the real world.

Claytronics Hardware:

In hardware, Claytronics has already made

centimetre sized cylindrical catoms that

have basic features. They can latch together

and recognize when they are latched, and

they can be moved using electrostatic

forces.Through hardware engineering

projects, researchers investigate the effects

of scale on micro-electro-mechanical

systems and model concepts for

manufacturable, nanoscale modular robots

capable of self-assembly. 

Catoms created from this research to

populate claytronic ensembles will be less

than a millimetre in size which is highly

challenging task and involves the concepts

that cross the frontiers of computer science,

modular robotics and systems

nanotechnology.

At the current stage of design, claytronics

hardware operates from macro-scale

designs with devices that are much larger

than the tiny modular robots that set the

goals of this engineering research. Such

devices are designed to test concepts for

sub-millimetre scale modules and to

elucidate crucial effects of the physical and

electrical forces that affect nano-scale

robots.

Millimetre Scale Catoms:

Realizing high-resolution applications that

Claytronics offers millimetre-scale catoms

that are electrostatically actuated and self

contained are proposed. The millimetre

scale catom consists of a tube and a High

voltage CMOS die attached inside the tube.

The tubes are fabricated as double-layer

planar structures in 2D using standard

photolithography. The difference in thermal

stress created in the layers during the

fabrication processes causes the 2D

structures to bend into 3D tubes upon

release from the substrate. The tubes have

electrodes for power transfer and actuation

on the perimeter. The high voltage CMOS

die is fabricated separately and is manually

wire bonded to the tube before release. The

chip includes an AC-DC converter, a

storage capacitor, a simple logic unit, and

output buffers.

The catom moves on a power grid (the

stator) that contains rails which carry high

voltage AC signals. Through capacitive

coupling, an AC signal is generated on the

coupling electrodes of the tube, which is

then converted to DC power by the chip.

The powered chip then generates voltage on

the actuation electrodes sequentially,

creating electric fields that push the tube

forward.

Cubes:

A lattice-style modular robot, the 22-cubic-

centimeter Cube, provides a base of

actuation for the electrostatic latch (which

is the binding designed to build a matrix).

The design of a cube, which resembles a

box with starbursts flowering from six

sides, emphasizes several performance

criteria: accurate and fast engagement,

facile release and firm, strong adhesion

while Cube latches clasps one module to

another.

Its geometry enables reliable coupling of

modules, a strong binding electrostatic

force and close spacing of modules within

an ensemble to create structural stability.

The Cube extends and contracts six

electrostatic latching devices on stem

assemblies. By this mechanism, the latches

of a Cube integrate with latches on adjacent

Cubes for construction of larger shapes. The

capacitive couple, which forms the

electrostatic latch, provides within an

ensemble of Cubes not only adhesion and

structural stability but also the transmission

of power and communication.This micro-

electro-mechanical device thus presents a

model for a type of robotic self-assembly of

complex structures at both macro and micro

scales.

Powering Catoms with

Magnetic Resonant

Coupling:

As a potential means for providing power to

catoms without using electrical connections

wireless power transfer via magnetic

resonant coupling in a system with a large

source coil and either one or two small

receivers are used. Resonance between

source and load coils is achieved with

lumped capacitors terminating the coils.

Planar Catoms:

The self-actuating, cylinder-shaped planar

catom tests concepts of motion, power

distribution, data transfer and

communication that will be eventually

incorporated into ensembles of nano-scale

robots. It provides a test bed for the

architecture of micro-electro-mechanical

systems for self-actuation in modular

robotic devices.

The planar catom is approximately 45 times

larger in diameter than the millimetre scale

catom for which its work is a bigger-than-

life prototype. It operates on a two-

dimensional plane in small groups of two to

seven modules

On a whole Planar catoms test the concept

of motion without moving parts and the

design of force effectors that create

cooperative motion within ensembles of

modular robots.Electrostatic latches model

a new system of binding and releasing the

connection between modular robots, a

connection that creates motion and transfers

power and data while employing a small

factor of a powerful force.Stochastic

Catoms integrate random motion with

global objectives communicated in simple

computer language to form predetermined

patterns, using a natural force to actuate a

simple device, one that cooperates with

other small helium catoms to fulfil a set of

unique instructions.Cubes employ

electrostatic latches to demonstrate the

functionality of a device that could be used

in a system of lattice-style self-assembly at

both the macro and nano-scale.Giant

Helium Catoms provide a larger-than-life,

lighter-than-air platform to explore the

relation of forces when electrostatics has a

greater effect than gravity on a robotic

device, an effect simulated with a modular

robot designed for self-construction of

macro-scale structures.

Software Research:

In a domain of research defined by many of

the greatest challenges facing computer

scientists and robotic engineers today,

perhaps none is greater than the creation of

algorithms and programming language to

organize the actions of millions of sub-

millimetre scale catoms in a claytronics

ensemble. So it is necessary to develop

complete structure of software resources for

the creation and operation of the densely

distributed network of robotic nodes in a

claytronic matrix. A notable characteristic

of a claytronic matrix is its huge

concentration of computational power

within a small space. For example, an

ensemble of catoms with a physical volume

of one cubic meter could contain 1 billion

catoms. Computing in parallel, these tiny

robots would provide unprecedented

computing capacity within a space not

much larger than a standard packing

container. Because of its vast number of

individual computing nodes, the matrix

invites comparison with the worldwide

reservoir of computing resources connected

through the Internet, a medium that not only

distributes data around the globe but also

enables nodes on the network to share work

from remote locations.

Conclusion:

The big question is when will claytronics

be available? This Technology will change

the world when it is ready,but manufactures

of 3D printers have nothing to fear in the

short term from programmable matter

References:

1.Carnegie Mellon University official

site:www.cs.cmu.edu.

2.www.wikipedia.com.

Other information from:

www.google.co.in

3.Images from: images.google.co.in and

www.cs.cmu.edu