CLAYTRONICS

INTRODUCTION
 How can a material be intelligent by being made up of particle-sized machines?
The idea is simple: make basic computers housed in tiny spheres that can connect to each other
and rearrangethemselves.
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.

 Use large numbers of nano-scale robots to create synthetic reality.

 Catoms, or Claytronics Atoms, are also referred to as 'programmable matter'.
 Catoms are described as being similar in nature to a nanomachine, but with greater powerand
complexity.
 While microscopic individually, they bond and work together on a largerscale. Catoms can change their
density, energy levels, state of being.
 CLAYTRONICS
Dynamic 3-dimensional display of information

Modular Robotics
CLAYTRONIC
S

Systems
Computer Science
Nanotechnology
 WHAT IS
CLAYTRONICS ?

 Claytronics is an emerging field of engineering,drawing on nano technology and computer

engineering.
 This combines modular robotics, systems nanotechnology and computer science to create the
dynamic, 3-Dimensional display of electronic information known as Claytronics.
 Billions of microscopic robots working together in a vast network to build 3D objects that can
change color, feel solid to the touch, can be molded and changed into almost anything.
 Claytronics or programmable matter refers to an assemblage of tiny components called
claytronic atoms or Catoms, which could assume the form of any object, depending on the
programmes controlling the Claytronics.
 Coined at Carnegie Mellon University by Seth Goldstein and Todd C. Mowry during the last
decade.
 CATOM
 Catoms: the robotic substrate of the
Claytronics project

 Bands of electro-magnets provide

locomotion

 Infrared sensors allow for communication

 Metal contact rings route power

throughout ensemble
 HARDWARE

 The catoms need to able to communicate with each other in an ensemble and be able to
compute state information, possibly with assistance from each other.

 Fundamentally, catoms consist of a CPU, a network device for communication, a single

pixel display, several sensors and a means to adhere to one another.

 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.

Hardware >>
 Electrostatic Latch Cube employ electrostatic latches to
Electrostatic latches model a new system of
demonstrate the functionality of a device that could be
binding and releasing the connection between
used in a system of lattice-style self-assembly at both the
modular robots, a connection that creates
macro and Nano-scale.
motion and transfers power and data while
employing a small factor of a powerful force.
Hardware>>

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.
Planar Catom v8
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 macroscale structures.
Hardware >>
ELECTRODES ARE PLACED RADIALLY ON THE CATOM SURFACE.
THE MOTION PROFILE OF A CATOM MOVING ALONG THE ENSEMBLE
 ROLE OF MOORE’S LAW

Moore's law is the observation that, over the history of computing hardware, the
number of transistors on circuits doubles approximately every two years.
 SOFTWARE

 In the Carnegie Mellon-Intel Claytronics Software Lab, researchers address

several areas of software development:
Programming Languages
Researchers in the Claytronics project have also created Meld and LDP.
 Meld is a programming language designed for robustly programming
massive ensembles.
 LDP which stands for Locally Distributed Predicates, provides a means of
matching distributed patterns.
 CAPABILITIES OF
CATOMS
 Computation
 Researchers believe that catoms could take advantage of existing microprocessor
technology.
 Given that some modern microprocessor cores are now under a square millimetre, they
believe that a reasonable amount of computational capacity should fit on the several square
millimetres of surface area potentially available in a 2mm-diameter catom.
 Motion
 Although they will move, catoms will have no moving parts.
 This will enable them to form connections much more rapidly than traditional microrobots,
and it will make them easier to manufacture in high volume.
 Catoms will bind to one another and move via electromagnetic or electrostatic forces,
depending on the catom size.
 Power
 Catoms must be able to draw power without having to rely on a bulky battery or a wired
connection.
 Under a novel resistor-network design the researchers have developed, only a few catoms
must be connected in order for the entire ensemble to draw power.
 When connected catoms are energized, this triggers active routing algorithms which
distribute power throughout the ensemble.

 Communication
 Communications is perhaps the biggest challenge that researchers face in designing catoms.
 An ensemble could contain millions or billions of catoms, and because of the way in which
they pack, there could be as many as six axes of interconnection.
 CREATING REPLICA

 Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University also are exploring 3D image capture, in the Virtualized Reality
project. They have developed technology that points a set of cameras at an event and enables the viewer to
virtually fly around and watch the event from a variety of positions. The DPR researchers believe a similar
approach could be used to capture 3D scenes for use in creating physical, moving 3D replicas.

At a high level, there are two steps :

•Capturing a moving, three-dimensional image and
• Rendering it as a physical object.
 CLAYTRONICS : THE RESEARCH
Collaborative Research on “Programmable Matter” is Directed by Carnegie Mellon University and Intel

Research is underway heading down the path

to programmable matter called
"CLAYTRONICS" at Carnegie-Mellon
University, and "DYNAMIC PHYSICAL
RENDERING" at Intel

Research >>
 DYNAMIC PHYSICAL RENDERING
By Intel
Collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University

Real, tangible objects that change physical shape under software control
 Near-term motivation: Explore an extreme case parallelism,programming, controlling, debugging
groups of millions of CPUs
 Long-term motivation: Create dramatic new forms of user interface,3D visualization, smart antennas,
morphable handhelds, etc.

Explore 3D models
and volumetric
imaging data
intuitively, directly.

Research >>
 DPR HARDWARE PROTOTYPES
BY INTEL
COLLABORATION WITH CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

Two test beds for exploring potential DPR motion approaches

 Goal: Induce rolling or sliding motion to let modules to rearrange themselves(using
magnetic fields from coils or electric fields from capacitor plates)
 All motion is cooperative – one module always pulls/pushes on another
Magnetic field prototypes (5 cm diameter cylinders)

two assembled magnet rings 3 magnetic-field prototype

one coil
modules, move via rolling
 AREA OF EXPERTISE

 Electrical Engineering
 Design and Manufacture of Nano-scale robots
 Physics
 Structural support and movement
 Robots/AI
 Motion planning, collective actuation, grasping
 Software Engineering
 APPLICATION OF CLAYTRONICS

 Medicine
 A replica of your physician could appear in your living room and perform an exam.
 The virtual doctor would precisely mimic the shape, appearance and movements of your
"real" doctor, who is performing the actual work from a remote office.
 Disaster relief
 Objects made of programmable matter could be used to perform hazardous work and could
morph into different shapes to serve multiple purposes.
 Entertainment
 A football game, ice skating competition or other sporting event could be replicated in
miniature on your coffee table.
 A movie could be recreated in your living room, and you could insert yourself into the role of
one of the actors.
 3D physical modelling
 Physical replicas could replace 3D computer models, which can only be viewed in two
dimensions and must be accessed through a keyboard and mouse.
 Using claytronics, you could reshape or resize a model car or home with your hands, as if you
were working with modelling clay.
Thank You
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