Technical Seminar Abstract

Claytronics is an emerging technology, which uses the concept of programmable matter. It includes nanotechnology and computer science. It was never existed in science fiction as a science or technology until recent years, and yet here we are discussing the possibilities of programming the matter. Present research on claytronics is to understand manufacturing and programming of very large ensembles of independently actuated computing devices, it is also clear that such a material would have numerous practical applications, ranging from shapeshifting radio antennas (important for software-defined radios) to 3D fax machines. Perhaps it is more motivated by one of the most basic of human needs to communicate and interact with others (face to face).
This article describes the hardware and software challenges involved in

realizing claytronics, a form of programmable matter made out of very large numbers-potentially millions-of sub millimeter-sized spherical robots. The goal of the Claytronics Project is to create ensembles of cooperating sub millimeter robots, which work together to form dynamic threedimensional physical objects. If this technology comes into reality we may access the most advanced type of media that is pario like audio and video. Just to draw an analogy between video and pario, consider LCD display which is a form of programmable matter implements video, similarly claytronics essentially it is another type of programmable matter implements pario. But here you can not only see the 3D replica of an object but also you can touch and feel it. Here each voxel (similar to pixel in LCD) has centralized computation unlike LCD pixel where it has only state but there is no interaction with each other. Now the question is , do we having sufficient technology ? . Above concept appears fantastical-almost science fiction. Collaborative work is going on in this emerging field of technology in intel corporation at Pittsburg laboratory and Carnegie mellon university.