Category Archives: Newsworthy

Efficiency and Performance of Edge Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence or AI is a very common phrase nowadays. We encounter AI in smart home systems, in intelligent machines we operate, in the cars we drive, or even on the factory floor, where machines learn from their environments and can eventually operate with as little human intervention as possible. However, for the above cases to be successful, it was necessary for computing technology to develop to the extent that the user could decentralize it to the point in the network where the system generates data—typically known as the edge.

Edge artificial intelligence or edge AI makes it possible to process data with low latency and at low power. This is essential, as a huge array of sensors and smart components forming the building blocks of modern intelligent systems can typically generate copious amounts of data.

The above makes it imperative to measure the performance of the edge AI deployment to optimize its advantages. To gauge the performance of the edge AI model requires specific benchmarks that can indicate its performance based on standardized tests. However, there are nuances in edge AI applications, as the application itself often influences the configuration and design of the processor. Such distinctions often prevent using generalized performance parameters.

In contrast with data centers, a multitude of factors constraint the deployment of edge AI. Among them, the primary factors are its physical size and power consumption. For instance, the automotive sector is witnessing a huge increase in electric vehicles with a host of sensors and processors for autonomous driving. Manufacturers are implementing them within the limited capacity of the battery supply of the vehicle. In such cases, power efficiency parameters take precedence.

In another application, such as home automation, the dominant constraint is the physical size of the components. The design of AI chips, therefore, must use these restrictions as guidelines, with the corresponding benchmarks reflecting the adherence to these guidelines.

Apart from power consumption and size constraints, the deployment of the machine learning model will also determine the application of the processor. Therefore, this can impose specific requirements when analyzing its performance. For instance, benchmarks for a chip in a factory utilizing IoT for detecting objects will be different from a chip for speech recognition. Therefore, estimating edge AI performance requires developing specific benchmarking parameters that showcase real-world use cases.

For instance, in a typical modern automotive application, sensors like computer vision, LiDAR, etc., generate the data that the AI model must process. In a single consumer vehicle fitted with an autonomous driving system, this can easily amount to generating two to three terabytes of data per week. The AI model must process this huge amount of data in real-time, and provide outputs like street sign detection, pedestrian detection, vehicle detection, and so on. The volume of data the sensors produce depends on the complexity of the autonomous driving system, and in turn, determines the size and processing power of the AI core. The power consumption of the onboard AI system depends on the quality of the model, and the manner in which it pre-processes the data.

Astronomical Growth of Machine Vision

Industries are witnessing rapid growth of machine vision. This technology being a vital component of the industry’s modern automation solutions, they expect the market for 3-D machine vision to nearly double in the next six years. In the manufacturing context, two major factors contribute to this increase in adoption of the machine vision technology. The first is due to the industry facing acute labor shortage problems, and the second is the dramatic decrease in hardware costs.

Additionally, with an increase in technological performance, the industry needs machine vision systems to process ever-expanding amounts of information every second. Moreover, with the advent of machine learning and advanced artificial intelligence algorithms, data collected from machine vision systems are becoming more valuable. The industry is rightly realizing the power of machine vision.

So, what exactly is machine vision? What makes a robot see? A vision system typically is a conglomeration of many parts that include the camera, lighting sources, lenses, robotic components, a computer for processing, and application-specific software.

The camera forms the eye of the system. There are many types of cameras that the industry uses for machine vision. Each type of camera is specific for a particular application need. Also, an automation solution may have many cameras with different configurations.

For instance, a static camera typically remains in a fixed position in a scenario where speed is imperative. It might have a bird’s eye view of the scene below it. On the other hand, a robotic arm may mount a dynamic camera at its end, to take a closer look at a process, thereby picking out higher details.

One of the important aspects of the vision system is its computing power. In fact, this is the brain to help the eye understand what it is seeing. Traditional machine vision systems were rather limited in their computing powers. Modern machine vision systems that take advantage of machine learning algorithms require far greater computation resources. They also depend on software libraries for augmenting their computing capabilities.

Machine vision manufacturers design these capabilities specifically for application users. They design the software to provide advanced capabilities for machine vision systems. These advanced capabilities allow users to control the tasks for the machine vision, such that they can gain valuable insights from the visual feedback.

With the industry increasingly using vision for assembly lines, the concept of a vision-guided system replacing basic human capabilities is on the upswing in a wide range of processes and applications.

One of the major applications of machine vision is inspection. As components enter the assembly line, machine vision cameras give them a thorough inspection. They look for cracks, bends, shifts, misalignment, and similar defects, which, even if minor, may lead to a quality issue later. The machine vision compares the crack, and if larger than a specified size, rejects the component automatically.

In addition to mechanical defects, machine vision is capable of detecting color variations. For instance, a color camera can detect discoloration and thereby reject faulty units.

The camera can also read product labels, serial numbers, or barcodes. This allows the identification of specific units that need tracking.

Generating Power from Space

At the beginning of this year, the SSPP or Space Solar Power Project of the California Institute of Technology launched a prototype SSPD or Space Solar Power Demonstrator into orbit. They have an aspiring plan of gathering solar power in space. Not only will the SSPD prototype test several vital components, but also beam the energy it collects back to earth.

Outer space has a practically unlimited supply of solar energy. This energy is constantly available, never subject to cloud cover, and is unaffected by seasons and cycles of day and night. Therefore, space solar power is a tremendous step towards harnessing limitless amounts of clean and free energy.

The launch is a major milestone for the project. In full realization, the SSPD will have several spacecraft in the form of a constellation for collecting sunlight. It will then transform the sunlight into electricity, and transmit it wirelessly over to earth. The project will provide electricity wherever necessary, including places that do not have access to reliable power.

A SpaceX rocket launched the 50-kg SSPD into space on a Transporter-6 mission. The demonstrator has three main experiments. Each handling a vital technology of the project.

The first experiment is the DOLCE. This is the on-orbit, deployable, ultralight composite. Measuring 6 x 6 feet, this structure is meant to demonstrate the packaging scheme, architecture, and deployment mechanism of the future modular spacecraft that the scientists eventually plan to make up as the kilometer-long constellation of the power station.

The next experiment is the ALBA. This is a collection of various types of photovoltaic cells. Numbering 32 in total, this experiment allows the scientists to make an assessment of the effective performance of each type of photovoltaic cell in the extremely hostile environment of space.

The final experiment is the MAPLE. This is a microwave array for transferring power at low orbit. It consists of an array of lightweight flexible power transmitters at microwave ranges. With precise timing control systems, it can focus the power onto two different receivers selectively. This experiment will demonstrate the transmission of wireless power at a distance in space.

The SSPD has an additional fourth experiment. This is a box of electronics interfacing the prototype with the Vigoride computer while providing a control for the three experiments.

The ALBA or photovoltaic cell experiment will require up to six months of testing before it can generate new insights into the most suitable photovoltaic technology for space power applications. MAPLE constitutes a series of experiments, starting from verification of the initial functionality to an evaluation of the system performance under extreme environments over time.

DOLCE has two cameras on booms that can deploy as necessary, and more cameras on the electronics system. They will monitor the progress of the experiments and provide a feedback stream to earth. According to the SSPD team, they expect to have a complete assessment of the experiments’ performance within a few months.

In the meantime, the team still has to deal with numerous challenges. This is because it is not possible to guarantee anything about conducting an experiment in space.

Future Diamond Transistors

At Northrop Grumman Mission Systems and Arizona State University, researchers are working on a new project, creating power transistors, but from diamond. They claim diamond power transistors are capable of very high efficiencies. This can significantly shrink the size of power transistors, leading to smaller electrical grid substations, and a potential drop in the cost of cell phone towers.

Manufacturers typically make power transistors from silicon. However, researchers are investigating diamond, because, they claim, it has very high thermal conductivity. Therefore, diamond conducts heat more than 8 to 10 times more efficiently than current materials like silicon. The researchers claim that at their full potential, transistors made of diamond can be smaller than regular power transistors by about 90 percent.

The breakdown field of diamonds is also high. That means, as compared to most other materials, a diamond can withstand large amounts of voltage, before failure. A high breakdown field is advantageous for applications involving high power. Therefore, diamond transistors will be vital to advancing the transition to renewable energy, while electrifying the transportation sector.

Although silicon has been the standard material for making most semiconductor devices, manufacturers also use gallium nitride and silicon carbide for the more advanced modern transistors, mainly for regulating the flow of electrical power. Now, researchers are studying the use of two new transistor materials—boron nitride and diamond,

The researchers are studying diamonds for the main body of the transistor, while they are interested in boron nitride as the electrical contact for the transistor. Similar to diamond, boron nitride, too, has high thermal conductivity and a high breakdown field,

The research team expects to make transistors by combining the two materials. According to them, the two materials complement each other, working even better than they do individually.

Their research will be useful for several applications, such as communication technologies. For instance, satellites typically operate on solar power, requiring transistors to turn power from solar panels into a form usable by the electronics. For launching satellites into space, one of the biggest impediments is its weight and size. Using a smaller power transistor can help to reduce both.

Smaller diamond transistors can improve many other communication technologies as well. This includes towers that cell phones need. Transistors handle the power that these tower systems need to produce radio frequencies for cell phone usage.

According to the researchers, cell phone designers and operators face a huge challenge of keeping the tower systems cool. This is especially true when the tower location is in hot environments, such as in Phoenix.

Cell phone towers typically use power transistors made of silicon, while the newer 5G towers use gallium nitride transistors. With their substantially better heat transfer characteristics, the new diamond transistors can drastically reduce the power needed to cool cell phone tower systems, and also make easier the task of keeping cell tower electronics from overheating.

In addition to communication technology, power conversion applications for electrical systems and the electrical grid will also benefit from the new power transistors made of boron nitride and diamond. Their higher efficiency will significantly reduce the size of electricity grid substations.

Wearable Electronics with Screen-Printing

Although screen-printing methods are commonly useful for making T-shirts, manufacturers are now experimenting with the same technique for making flexible and wearable electronics. The easy manufacturing technique is also quite inexpensive.

The tech industry is increasingly promoting the popular use of flexible, wearable electronics. This promotion includes fitness trackers and smartwatches, which consumers are adopting widely. However, there is a huge challenge in making these devices—the process is rather error-prone, complex, and expensive.

Another challenge that manufacturers of such flexible, wearable electronics face are the high cost of raw materials. As the materials these devices require for the flexible sensors and displays are relatively new, they are expensive to produce in large quantities. Therefore, manufacturers find it difficult to produce high-quality and affordable devices.

The complexity of the manufacturing processes for these devices is another major challenge. The process of manufacturing these flexible, wearable electronic devices requires various steps, involving the printing of thin-film transistors, creating flexible substrates, and assembling the final device. Each step requires the execution to be at a high level of accuracy and precision. This not only increases the risk of errors but is also difficult to achieve.

In contrast, the screen-printing process, or the silk screen printing process, is a technique that is in use for centuries now. The process requires pushing ink through a mesh screen or stencil and depositing it on a surface. A non-permeable material blocks off sections of the mesh screen to leave open only the desired design. This allows ink to pass through only the openings.

Not only does the above process require very inexpensive and minimal material, but it is also incredibly simple as well, and anyone can do it by hand. So far, manufacturers of T-shirts have used this process, but now it has inspired a research team from Washington State University also. They experimented with the technique to check out its suitableness for printing flexible, wearable electrodes among other electronic components.

The team started by printing multiple layers of polyethylene glycol and polyimide mixture on a glass slide. They interspersed this printing with a conductive, patterned layer of silver. After completing the printing process, they peeled off the screen-printed material from the slide, affixing it to the body or fabric. Then they formed a serpentine, highly deformable pattern of electrodes, which could stretch to more than 30% of its regular size, and bend at up to 180 degrees without any damage.

The researchers created a wearable, real-time, wireless, electrocardiogram monitoring device using their new method, and put it to the test. They developed an algorithm to process the sensor data from the flexible printed circuit and the printed electrodes. Their device could accurately calculate respiratory rates, heart rate, and its variability metrics. According to the researchers, the variability metrics could have clinical applicability in the detection of arrhythmia.

The main advantage of the approach by the team is they can easily scale up their technique. Therefore, they can use the same technique for creating a single device or for mass-producing a commercial wearable. Moreover, the same technology is useful even beyond medical devices, such as in producing fitness trackers and smartwatches.

Green and Wireless IoT

IoT or the Internet of Things presents devices with a collection of components for connecting various systems, software, and people via the Internet technology. Of these, the communications network is a crucial component, and the IoT wireless technology enables this. The communications network acts as the gateway between a software platform and an IoT device.

In many industries and even in daily life, the IoT is already displaying a major impact. IoT basically connects a variety of smart objects of different shapes and sizes, facilitating data exchange between them. These objects can be self-driven cars with sensors that can detect road obstacles, home-security systems, and temperature-controlled industrial equipment. Furthermore, the interconnection is often over the internet and other communications and sensing networks.

Several thin-film device technologies are emerging. They typically rely on alternative semiconductor materials, which can be nanocarbon allotropes, printable organics, and metal oxides. As suggested by an international team, KAUST, these could contribute to a more environmentally sustainable and economical Internet of Things.

By the next decade, expect the ballooning hyper-network of IoT to reach trillions of devices. This will boost the number of sensor devices this platform deploys.

The present IoT technology relies heavily on batteries to power sensor nodes. Unfortunately, batteries require regular replacement. That makes them environmentally harmful and expensive over time. Moreover, the present global production of lithium for battery materials may be unable to keep up with the increasing numbers of sensors and their energy demand.

An alternative approach relies on energy harvesters and wirelessly powered sensor nodes for achieving a more sustainable IoT. These energy harvesters may be radio-frequency-based, photovoltaic cell-based, or use other technologies. Such power sources could readily enable large-area electronics.

The KAUST team has assessed the viability of several large-area electronic technologies for their potential of delivering wirelessly powered IoT that is more eco-friendly.

Relative to conventional technologies based on silicon, large-area electronics are now emerging as an appealing alternative. This is because of the significant progress that solution-based processing is making, resulting in easily printable devices and circuits on flexible, large-area substrates. It is possible to produce them at low temperatures and on a variety of biodegradable substrates like paper. That allows more eco-friendly sensors in comparison to counterparts based on silicon.

The KAUST team has, over the years, been developing a wide range of radio-frequency-based electronic components. These include organic polymer and metal oxide-based semiconductor devices commonly known as Schottky diodes. For making wireless energy harvesters, these devices are very crucial, ultimately dictating the cost and performance of sensor nodes.

The KAUST team has been making key contributions that have included scalable methods of manufacturing RF diodes for harvesting energy. These diodes easily reach the 5G/6G frequency ranges. According to the team, these technologies are providing the necessary building blocks to sustain a trend towards a more sustainable way of powering the future billions of sensor nodes.

Currently, the team is investing in the integration of low-power monolithic devices with sensors and antennae for showcasing their true potential.

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Haptic Skin Sensors

Although great technological advances are taking place to engage our eyes and ears in the virtual worlds, engaging other senses like touch is a different ballgame altogether. At City University in Hong Kong, engineers have developed a wearable, thin electronic skin called WeTac. It offers tactile feedback in AR and VR.

At present, there are several wearable devices with designs that allow users to manipulate virtual objects while receiving haptic feedback from them. However, not only are these devices heavy and big but also require tangles of wire and complex setups.

In contrast, the WeTac system is one of the neatest arrangements among all others. The engineers have made it from a rubbery hydrogel that makes it stick to the palm and on the front of the fingers. The device connects to a small battery and has a Bluetooth communications system that sits on the forearm in a 5-square-centimeter patch. The user can recharge the battery wirelessly.

The hydrogel has 32 electrodes embedded in it. The electrodes are spread out all over the palm, the thumb, and the fingers. The system sends electrical currents through these electrodes to produce tactile sensations.

According to the WeTac team, they can stimulate a specific combination of these electrodes at varying strengths. This allows them to simulate a wide range of experiences. They have demonstrated this by simulating catching a tennis ball or generating the feel of a virtual mouse moving across the hand. They claim they can ramp up the sensation to uncomfortable levels, but not to the extent of making them painful. This can give negative feedback, such as a reaction to touching a digital cactus.

According to the researchers, they can pair the system up with either augmented or virtual reality. They can thus simulate some intriguing use cases. For instance, it is possible to feel the rhythm of slicing through VR blocks in Beat Saber, or catch Pokemon while petting a Pikachu in the park in AR.

Using the WeTac system, it may be possible to control robots remotely or transmit to the human operator the tactile sensations of the robot as it grips something.

Syntouch has a new tactile sensor that performs three important functions. First, it measures the impedance using a flexible bladder placed against an array of sensing electrodes fixed in a rigid core. This arrangement helps to measure deformity, somewhat like the human finger, using its ductile skin and flesh against the rigid bone structure inside it. The finger uses its fingernails to cause bulges in the skin for detecting shear forces.

Second, the tactile sensor registers micro-vibrations using a pressure sensor that the sensor core has mounted on its inside. This enables measurements of surface texture and roughness. The fingerprints are very crucial here, as they can interact with the texture.

Third, the sensor has a thermistor. Its electrical resistance is a function of temperature. Just like the human finger can sense heat, the sensor also generates heat, while the thermistor allows it to detect how it exchanges this heat when the finger touches an object.

Precision RH&T Probe Using Chilled Mirror

The Aosong Electronic Co. Ltd, with a registered trademark ASAIR, is a leading designer and manufacturer in China of MEMS sensors. They focus on the design of sensor chips, the production of wafers, sensor modules, and system solutions. They have designed a sensor AHTT2820, which is a precision relative humidity and temperature probe.

ASAIR has based the design of AHTT2820 on the principles of a cold optical mirror. It directly measures humidity and temperature. Contrary to other methods of indirect measurements of humidity through resistance and capacitance changes, AHTT2820 uses the principles of a cold optical mirror. It can directly measure the surrounding humidity. It is an accurate, intuitive, and reliable sensor.

ASAIR uses a unique semiconductor process to treat the mirror surface of this high-precision humidity and temperature sensor. It uses platinum resistance to measure the temperature by sensing the change in the resistance due to a change in temperature. This gives the high-precision humidity and temperature sensor long-term stability, reliability, and high accuracy of measurement. The sensor features a fast response speed, a short warm-up time, and an automatic balance system.

Users can connect the sensor to their computer through a standard Modbus RTU communication system. It can record data, display the data, and chart curves. The precision RH&T probe provides direct measurement of temperature and dew point. Powered by USB, the split probe is suitable for various scenarios.

The AHTT2820 is a chilled mirror dew point meter that directly measures the dew point according to the definition of dew point. Various industries widely use it. They include food and medicine production industries, the measurement and testing industry, universities, the power electronics industry, scientific research institutes, the meteorological environment, and many others.

The probe uses its optical components to detect the thickness of frost or dew on the mirror surface. It uses the detection information for controlling the temperature of the mirror surface for maintaining a constant thickness of dew or frost. It uses a light-emitting diode to generate an incident beam of constant intensity to illuminate the mirror. On the opposite side, the probe has a photodiode for measuring the reflected intensity of the incident beam from the light-emitting diode.

The probe uses the output of the photodiode for controlling the semiconductor refrigeration stack. Depending on the output of the photodiode, the system either heats up or cools down the semiconductor refrigeration stack. This helps to maintain the condensation thickness of moisture on the surface of the mirror.

As it reaches the equilibrium point, the rate of evaporation from the mirror surface equals the rate of condensation. At this time, the platinum resistance thermometer embedded in the mirror measures the temperature of the mirror, and this represents the dew point.

Under standard atmospheric pressure, it is possible to obtain the related values of absolute humidity, relative humidity, water activity, and humid air enthalpy through calculation after measuring the ambient temperature.

The probe can measure temperatures from -40 to +80 °C, with an accuracy of ±0.1 °C. It measures humidity from 4.5 to 100%RH at 20 °C, with an accuracy of ±1%RH at <90%RH.

Interactive Touchscreens

The interactive touchscreen, being an outstandingly adaptable technology, is a common feature in almost all settings. This includes manufacturing, healthcare, restaurants, movie theaters, shops, railway stations, and even in outer space. People use interactive touchscreens universally for the simple reason that they make life easier. In any industry, interactive touchscreens allow people to do their job better and more quickly.

In the age of digital transformation, the above features are essential. The trend in industries all over is to optimize workflows with technology. More stakeholders value convenience and speed now. Although touchscreens find universal applications, system integrators and their vendors of integrated software uphold their versatility by finding newer uses for them. That means a bright future lies ahead for interactive touchscreens. Moreover, manufacturers are integrating them with future technologies like artificial intelligence, voice recognition, and computer vision.

With a change in customer preference, businesses can respond by using touchscreens. For instance, theaters that have been in business for a long time, are now adapting to new customer expectations of greater convenience. Customers decide on remaining at a site and purchasing, depending on whether the ordering process is convenient for them.

At times, when customers are facing a busy night, or they are running late, they may decide to forego buying candy and popcorn. This represents a substantial loss for the theater since they make huge profits from concessions.

Therefore, theaters are setting up self-service concession and ticketing kiosks based on interactive touchscreens. Any moviegoer can now buy their tickets and concessions as soon as they enter the theater, as many kiosks are available at the entrance in the lobby. Each kiosk has the capability to serve up to 350 customers every day.

This has resulted in a substantial improvement across the board. Customers are more satisfied now that waiting time has come down, and concession sales are booming.

Touchscreens are available in diverse types. For instance, they may be huge 65-inch large-format displays or tiny handheld models the size of a smartphone. Manufacturers are offering additional features to make them more versatile and attractive.

For instance, touchscreens are available with peripherals that the user can customize. They have a choice of peripherals ranging from biometric scanners, status lights, RFID and NFC readers, to webcams, barcode scanners, and so many more. Manufacturers often enhance the basic modularity of touchscreens with computing devices for control over complex situations. For instance, the integrated software in a touchscreen offers a point-of-sale application supporting a number of different peripherals with custom configurations.

Interactive touchscreens are evolving fast. Stand-alone touchscreens are transforming self-service applications. Identification of products using computer vision is speeding up the customer’s intentions of purchase by speeding up at self-checkouts. This integration of technologies is benefitting both, the businesses and the customers. While customers prefer to make their own choices, they receive help from the combination of computer vision, voice recognition, touch facility, and artificial intelligence. All this allows the user to drive the interaction.

By putting the control back where it belongs—in the customer’s hands—the future of interactive touchscreen is moving towards fulfilling its original purpose.