CLAYTRONICS

vivek

claytronics
Abstract
"Claytronics" is an emerging field of engineering concerning reconfigurable Nanoscale robots ('claytronic atoms', or catoms) designed to form much larger scale machines or mechanisms. Also known as "programmable matter", the catoms will be sub-millimeter computers that will eventually have the ability to move around, communicate with each others, change color, 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. With Claytronics we are talking of intelligent material. How can a material be intelligent? By being made up of particle-sized machines. At Carnegie Mellon, with support from Intel, the project is called Claytronics. The idea is simple: make basic computers housed in tiny spheres that can connect to each other and rearrange themselves. Its the same concept as we saw with Modular Robotics, only on a smaller scale. Each particle, called a Claytronics atom or Catom, is less than a millimeter in diameter. With billions you could make almost any object you wanted. This project combines modular robotics, systems nanotechnology and computer science to create the dynamic, 3Dimensional display of electronic information known as Claytronics. The main goal is to give tangible, interactive forms to information so that a user's senses will experience digital environments as though they are indistinguishable from reality.

Introduction

The goal of the claytronics project (AKA Synthetic reality) is to understand and develop the hardware and software neccesary to create programmable matter, a material which can be programmed to form dynamic three dimensional shapes which can interact in the physical world and visually take on an arbitrary appearance Claytronics refers to an ensemble of individual components, called catomsfor claytronic atoms that can move in three dimensions (in relation to other catoms), adhere to other catoms to maintain a 3D shape, and compute state information (with possible assistance from other catoms in the ensemble). Each catom contains a CPU, an energy store, a network device, a video output device, one or more sensors, a means of locomotion, and a mechanism for adhering to other catoms. The power and flexibility that will arise from being able to "program" the world around us should influence every aspect of the human experience. Claytronics is a technology which can serve as the means of implementing a new communication medium, which we call pario. The idea behind pario is to reproduce moving, physical 3D objects. Similar to audio and video, we are neither transporting the original phenomena nor recreating an exact replica: instead, the idea is to create a physical artifact that can do a good enough job of reproducing the shape, appearance, motion, etc., of the original object that our senses will accept it as being close enough.

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Moores law
Moore's law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware. The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. This trend has continued for more than half a century and is expected to continue until 2015 or 2020 or later. The capabilities of many digital electronic devices are strongly linked to Moore's law: processing speed, memory capacity, sensors and even the number and size of pixels in digital cameras

1949 ENIAC COST WEIGHT VOLUME POWER CYCLE TIME STORAGE 5M-23M $ 30 tons 450m3 200KW >200 micro sec <800B

2003 GREETING CARD 1$ 1 oz 1cm3 20mW 25ns 4KB

2050 PROGRAMMABLE MATTER 1 millicent 20 micro gram 1nm3 2 attowatts 2picosec 16KB

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Claytronics Vs Nanotechnology
Forget Nanotechnology, Think Claytronics Videoconferencing is like visiting someone in prison. You talk through a glass wall, but you can't deal with each other in a meaningful way. With Claytronics you could fax over an exact copy of your body, which will sit in that conference room thousands of miles away, mimicking your moves in real time and speaking with your voice. Claytronics experts are designing a kind of programmable clay that can morph into a working 3-D replica of any person or object, based on information transmitted from anywhere in the world. 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. Think of Claytronics as a more workable version of nanotechnology, which in its most advanced form promises to do the same thing but requires billions of self-assembling robots. Processors are getting ever smaller, and at the submilli-meter level, they could communicate and move around independently, thanks to electrostatic forces. This makes the possibility of Claytronics even greater. Intel and Carnegie Mellon joined forces in 2005 to cosponsor a project with a team of 25 robotics researchers and computer scientists. Their first breakthrough came when they developed software that can root out bugs in a system where millions of processors are working together. The researchers say they will have a hardware prototype of submillimeter electrostatic modules in five years and will be able to fax complex 3-D models --anything from engagement rings to sports cars -- by 2017. These are the fundamental building blocks for a new world of processing. Intel can see the potential. That potential could change the world. Who needs a TV when you can watch a live-scale replica of a cricket match being fought out by claytronic players on your coffee table? Why would a firefighter run into a burning building when he can send a claytronic version of himself? It's computing in 3-D in everyday life.

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Pario
The idea behind pario is to render arbitrary moving, physical 3-dimensional objects that you can see, touch, and even hold in your hands.It is a new medium like sound,picture and video..pario is the tomorrow. Latin: to bear, bring forth, produce;create, make, get Open up an entire new application space Antennas (Programmable Antennas) Design (100x protein model) Entertainment (interactive clay) Interaction (telepario) Rescue (paramedic on demand) Metal Man (fault tolerant robotics) Vehicle for studying CS problem of the future

For example, claytronics might be used in telepresense to mimic, with high-fidelity and in 3dimensional solid form, the look, feel, and motion of the person at the other end of the telephone call.

Catoms
These are claytronics atoms which are the building blocks, like a common atom in our daily life. We use catoms in claytronics, the size of the catoms are in nanoscale,billions and billions of these act together to produce a common effect. A cation contain these parts Processor Communication Power Sensing Page 4

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Display Actuation Programmable adhesive Can be programmed to form interesting dynamic shapes and configurations. A system for exploring the computer science of programmable matter

How it works
1. Capture 3D Object 2. Encode 3D model 3. Transmit data 4.Reproduce the same with catoms

Types of Catoms

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.

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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 fulfill a set of unique instructions. 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.

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. Each section devoted to an individual hardware project provides an overview of the basic functionality of the device and its relationship to the study of Claytronics. In addition, each project page is paired with a page of design notes that offer more detail on the steps in building the device.

As these creative systems have evolved in the Carnegie Mellon-Intel Claytronics Hardware Lab, they have prepared the path for development of a millimeter scale module that will represent the creation of a self-actuating Catom - a device that can compute, move, and communicate - at the Nano-scale. With the millimeter scale modular robot, the Claytronics Hardware Lab will demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing catoms in the quantities needed to produce dynamic 3-dimensional representations of original objects.

Design Principles
Goal: Scaling Page 6

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Up (in numbers down (in size) sub-goals: simplicity robustness Homogeneity no static power distributed, but catom local computation low complexity algorithms Consequences No moving parts Genderless, unary connectors No self-contained power source New programming paradigm

Major challenges
Creating a physical replica of an arbitrary moving 3D object that can be updated in real time involves many challenges.. Some of them are

Ensemble, Tether
(Ensemble- group work or to perform as one) (Tether- to work like a chain or rope like structure) It is possible fr a catoms to work as a whole bunch

Consequences No moving parts No self-contained power source Genderless, unary connectors

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Creating a network between catoms
Use simple local rules to form hierarchy 10 line program does this! Local only decisions --> Global effect

Getting There From Here

Goal: Robust ensemble of millions of catoms

Claytronics Design Principles No Moving Parts Local Control No Static Power

Scaling of Claytronics
The catom is available in 3 range macro,micro and nano Each have different and complex mechanism for its own transportation, adhesion, manufacturing etc.

dimensions weight locomotion Adhesion mechanism manufacturing resolution Cost

macro >1cm 10s g Programmable magnets/electrostatics Nano fiber/magnets Conventional manufacturing low $$$

micro >1mm 100s mg electrostatics Programmable nano fibre Micro/nano manufacturing high $

nano <10 microns <1mg Aerosol Molecular adhesion and covalent bonds chemically direct assembly High millicent

Display
A catom must be capable of displaying information i.e it must be able to produce a pixel in nano/micro scale and a whole effect will be a picture or the colour of the object

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What about the software?

Programming Models Distributed Planning Networking OS

Motion Planning Challenges

Large Number of Catoms ( ~ 100k+) No central planner Physical Limitations Maximum torque Center of gravity Structural stability Power/network connectivity Inaccuracies/failures

Conclusion
Claytronics will be a test-bed for solving some of the most challenging problems we face today: how to build complex, massively distributed dynamic systems. It is also a step towards truly integrating computers into our livesby having them integrated into the very artifacts around us and allowing them to interact with the world. Building a better world for tomorrow ,today. THANK YOU !!

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