Technology Bulletin

The robotic cat that roared

Another attempt at artificial intelligence is evolving at Genobyte, a company in Boulder, CO. This time, researchers are giving birth to Robokoneko, a robot kitten (ko=child, neko=cat, in Japanese). The cat's brain, the Cellular Automata Machine (CAM) designed by Hugo de Garis of Advanced Telecommunications Research (Kyoto, Japan), contains nearly 40 million artificial neurons. The CAM-Brain's neurons are real electronic devices, rather than software simulations used in most artificial intelligence research. The neural net circuit modules, with a maximum of 1,000 neurons each, are evolved at speeds of less than a second using a special computer chip, called a field programmable gate array (FPGA), from California-based Xilinx. The evolved cellular Automata-based circuit modules are downloaded into a large RAM space and updated by the CAM-Brain machine fast enough for real-time control of a kitten. The I/O between the RAM brain will link via radio antenna with the life-sized kitten robot. The CAM-Brain Project uses Knowledge Revolution Inc.'s Working Model 3D (WM3D) software to simulate the feline's motions. Engineers at Genobyte delivered the first revision to ATR this past December so that the CAM-Brain team can start evolving motions for the kitten simulator, e.g. walking, turning, jumping, arching its back, sitting up, etc. Researchers hope the CAM-Brain will, for the first time, allow a robot to interact with stimuli in its environment to develop the sort of intelligence seen in animals. E-mail: degaris@hip.atr.co.jp

Ultrasound and magnets produce non-invasive body screening

Magnetic fields and ultrasound vibrations form the basis of a novel, non-invasive imaging technique for cancerous tissue. "We're exploring new territory," says Han Wen, of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD). "I wanted a technique as specific as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) but as fast as ultrasound." So Wen combined ultrasound imaging with the classical Hall Effect. Essentially, a body contains charged ions. By introducing an electrical pulse or charge into the body in the presence of a strong magnetic field, the electrical stimulation converts to an ultrasound signal. Now it may be possible to take a high-contrast, 3D image of the tissue using common ultrasound imaging. Such an image represents the electrical properties related to physiological characteristics such as membrane structure and the amount of free water. "For the last two decades, electrical parameters have been associated with physiological characteristics and health," says Wen. This method, so far in the early laboratory stage, may be used to analyze diseased tissue within seconds, instead of minutes needed for MRI scans. Wen designed bench-top scanners for the lab. He is in the process of building a larger scanner for potential animal or human tests. A British company, Oxford Instruments, started building the supermagnet needed for the job. Although it is relatively small, with a diameter of about 1.5 meters, it will have a massive magnetic field of 6 tesla. FAX: (301) 402-2389

A new recipe for lithium batteries

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM) are experimenting with combinations of metals to improve the lithium ion battery. It's much like baking a cake, says Tim Boyle of Sandia's Materials Processing Dept. It's just a matter of putting together the right ingredients. Boyle and colleague Jim Voigt hope this will result in a rechargeable battery that will be economical and have a long enough run time to power electric cars or replace existing lead-acid batteries. The researchers are focusing on the cathode portion of the battery. Lithium ion batteries are limited to small electronic devices, such as laptop computers and camcorders, because of cost and safety concerns. The cathode material, lithium cobalt oxide, is particularly expensive. However, lithium batteries are lightweight and provide more electricity than non-lithium batteries of equal size and weight, making them ideal to power portable electronics. Boyle and Voigt use a patented, waterless process to test different materials. "We've tried various combinations of lithium, a lightweight metal, with manganese, cobalt, nickel, chromium, and aluminum and are making some breakthroughs," says Boyle. The experiments show that cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other transition metals might be the most effective combination of materials. Nickel would replace some of the cobalt, reducing the cost while maintaining the high capacity. Manganese allows for more flexibility in the charge distribution and would also replace some cobalt. Researchers are optimistic that they are close to the right combination. E-mail tjboyle@sandia.gov  

'Laboratory on a chip' analyzes DNA

Courts increasingly recognize DNA as permissible evidence for proving one's innocence or guilt. A team of engineers and genetic scientists at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) are helping the judicial system by making DNA easier to analyze. The group developed a glass and silicon chip, smaller than a child's pinky finger nail, that automatically analyzes DNA samples and reports the results electronically. This "laboratory on a chip" is far less expensive than conventional methods of analyzing DNA, which require specialized laboratories, equipment, and trained personnel, say the researchers. The device includes systems for metering, measuring, and mixing microscopic liquid samples of DNA with reagents, moving the mixtures to an integrated, temperature-controlled reaction chamber, separating DNA molecules by size through gel electrophoresis, and determining the results with an on-board fluorescence detector. All components are contained on a single wafer, except for external light and air-pressure sources and a printed board containing control circuitry. Key to microfabricating the chip was the team's development of a photo-lithographic technique for etching precise hydrophobic regions in the injection channels of the silicon layer. A discussion of this process appeared in the Journal of Science, October 16, 1998, by Mark A Burns. Cost savings should be significant, says Burns. He suggests that the cost of producing the DNA-testing chip in research-sized quantities may only be $6 per device. E-mail janethc@engin.umich.edu 

New materials may make space vehicles lighter, cheaper

To greatly reduce the cost of getting to space, engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, AL) are working with industry partners to develop reusable launch vehicles. To help make this possible, Tom DeLay, a Marshall materials processes engineer, uses a new graphite epoxy technology to create lightweight cryogenic fuel lines for vehicles such as NASA's X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator. He wraps a water-soluble mandrel, or mold, with a graphite fabric coated with an epoxy resin. Once wrapped, the pipe is vacuum-bagged and autoclave-cured. The disposable mold will be removed, leaving a thin-walled fuel line. Researchers say the material is lighter and stronger than metal and won't expand or contract as much in the extreme temperatures launch vehicles encounter. FAX (256) 544-7128

Synthetic DNA molecules build nano-robots

A team of New York University researchers, led by NYU chemistry professor Nadrian C. Seeman, recently built a machine from DNA. Using synthetic DNA molecules, the scientists constructed two rigid arms that rotate between fixed positions. They say that this device is a first step towards the development of nano-robots that might some day construct individual molecules in molecular-scale factories. Their findings are reported in the January 14, 1999 issue of Nature. Seeman says, "Using synthetic DNA as a building material, we have constructed a controllable molecular mechanical system. In the short-run, this is an exciting technical achievement. In the long-term, the work will have implications for the development of nano-scale robots and for molecular manufacturing." Phone Josh Plaut at 212-998-6797

Bending light made easy through an optical lattice

A microscopic 3D lattice that confines light at optical wavelengths may prove commercially important to the fiber-optics communications industry. The technique appears to be the least expensive, most efficient way to bend light entering or emerging from optical cables. Researchers Shawn Lin and Jim Fleming at the U.S. Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM) fabricated the crystal from tiny slivers of silicon. When magnified, it resembles an edifice constructed from toy Lincoln Logs, say the researchers. "In my mind," says Lin, "we are on holy ground. We are the lucky ones who got to the moon first." The device is called a photonic crystal because its regularly repeating internal structure can direct light, mimicking the properties of a true crystal, but--since its internal dimensions can be created at optimum sizes--with far greater ability to select desirable wavelengths. It traps light within the structure's confines as though reflecting it by mirrors, and makes possible transmission and bending of electromagnetic waves at optical frequencies with negligible losses. The structure, a kind of microscopic tunnel of silicon slivers with a 1.8-micron minimum feature size, was created at Sandia's Microelectronics Development Laboratory. The crystal is said to be the smallest ever fabricated with a complete 3D photonic band gap. It is effective at wavelengths between 1.35 and 1.95 microns. E-mail nsinger@sandia.gov 

For great works of art in 3D, look no further than your computer

Michelangelo's David, perhaps one of the most famous statues in the world, will soon be displayed in all its 3D glory on screens in local art museums and even on your home computer. The Digital Michelangelo Project, conceived by Marc Levoy of Stanford University (Stanford, CA), plans to create the first authoritative 3D computer archive of the 15th century Italian artist's work. The computer models will run into terabytes, the largest computer models generated to date. All of the researchers' scanners have a color camera to simultaneously scan for color and shape. The project is pushing computer graphics to a new level. If successful, the process will not only benefit the art world, but the advancement of 3D computer graphic models as well. E-mail levoy@cs.stanford