On-demand synaptic electronics: Circuits that learn and forget

Dec. 20, 2012 — Researchers in Japan and the US propose a nanoionic device with a range of neuromorphic and electrical multifunctions that may allow the fabrication of on-demand configurable circuits, analog memories and digital-neural fused networks in one device architecture.

Synaptic devices that mimic the learning and memory processes in living organisms are attracting avid interest as an alternative to standard computing elements that may help extend Moore's law beyond current physical limits.

However so far artificial synaptic systems have been hampered by complex fabrication requirements and limitations in the learning and memory functions they mimic. Now Rui Yang, Kazuya Terabe and colleagues at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan and the University of California, Los Angeles, in the US have developed two-, three-terminal WO3-x-based nanoionic devices capable of a broad range of neuromorphic and electrical functions.

In its initial pristine condition the system has very high resistance values. Sweeping both negative and positive voltages across the system decreases this resistance nonlinearly, but it soon returns to its original state indicating a volatile state. Applying either positive or negative pulses at the top electrode introduces a soft-breakdown, after which sweeping both negative and positive voltages leads to non-volatile states that exhibit bipolar resistance and rectification for longer periods of time.

The researchers draw similarities between the device properties -- volatile and non-volatile states and the current fading process following positive voltage pulses -- with models for neural behaviour -- that is, short- and long-term memory and forgetting processes. They explain the behaviour as the result of oxygen ions migrating within the device in response to the voltage sweeps. Accumulation of the oxygen ions at the electrode leads to Schottky-like potential barriers and the resulting changes in resistance and rectifying characteristics. The stable bipolar switching behaviour at the Pt/WO3-x interface is attributed to the formation of the electric conductive filament and oxygen absorbability of the Pt electrode.

As the researchers conclude, "These capabilities open a new avenue for circuits, analog memories, and artificially fused digital neural networks using on-demand programming by input pulse polarity, magnitude, and repetition history."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), via ResearchSEA.

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Journal Reference:

Rui Yang, Kazuya Terabe, Guangqiang Liu, Tohru Tsuruoka, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, James K. Gimzewski, Masakazu Aono. On-Demand Nanodevice with Electrical and Neuromorphic Multifunction Realized by Local Ion Migration. ACS Nano, 2012; 6 (11): 9515 DOI: 10.1021/nn302510e

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IT building blocks for the ordinary person

Nov. 21, 2012 — Would you like to create your own tourist guide? Or put together telecom services that give you better control of the everyday functions on your phone?

We seem to be drowning in 'intelligent things' and IT services. In our smart home, we can use various applications to control the front door, TV, washing machine, vacuum, heating and blinds. Other apps enable us to find out what time the bus is leaving, or book a table at a restaurant. On the medical side, there are sensors that can monitor your heart rate, intelligent pill boxes that remember when you should take your medicine, and applications to notify relatives if an elderly person doesn't get out of bed at their normal time.

But what if you go on holiday, and want to be able to water the plants in your garden, or turn the heating on or off in a certain room when the weather changes? Do you want to keep checking on yr.no in your hotel room, or use various different apps to control your house remotely? Wouldn't it be better if you could programme your house before you set off, and then enjoy your holiday without worrying?

Overwhelmed?

'We're now seeing many intelligent devices affecting our lives, and we are expecting to see more,' says Jacqueline Floch at SINTEF ICT. 'The question is whether people out there will be able to function independently. Some will manage to acquire the right technology skills and tailor IT services to their own needs, while others will feel overwhelmed by the huge choice'.

The researchers' idea is therefore to create a tool composed of different building blocks, so that people can select, combine and put together the services they need. 'Since most people aren't qualified programmers or software developers, we have to provide them with a new user interface and a tool that they can understand,' says Floch. Working with companies

For the last four years, the ICT researchers -- supported by the Research Council of Norway and the VERDIKT programme -- have been working with the three companies Tellu, Gintel and Wireless Trondheim on various aspects of the project. The result is the 'UbiSys' framework. Tellu currently develops software systems for the mobile market, while Gintel creates software for telecom operators and service providers, and Wireless Trondheim offers a network on which new IT services can be operated experimentally.

Easier tracking

The researchers have used the services offered by these companies as their starting point. For example, Tellu in Oslo markets the SmartTrack service platform. This allows different tracking services to connect and work together to monitor mobile units, whether these are devices or people.

It is possible to track these units, irrespective of their situation and condition, such as their location, movement or battery level. For example, users in the transport industry can track containers, while a smelting plant can keep track of its tools.

'The SmartTrack interface supports the definition of rules such as "if a person has a fall, notify a relative" or "if a tool is not indoors by 20:00, send an alarm to the duty officer." This interface is complex, and requires programming expertise. We have simplified this, allowing Tellus's customers to create their own rules,' says Floch. By combining SmartTrack with 'UbiSys', she thinks that 'the man in the street' will be able to use the service.

Telecom services

Gintel develops systems that enable telecom operators and service providers to tailor services to their corporate customers. These services might be managing incoming calls or conference services. Gintel currently offers its operators the 'Easy Designer' framework which allows users to modify existing services and quickly create new solutions. No software development expertise is needed to use Easy Designer, but users need to be expert in the communication and training domains.

In response to requests from its clients, Gintel is now moving towards the end users of telecom services, i.e. telephone users. The company has therefore started using 'UbiSys', enabling end users to put together telephone services themselves. The result is 'EasyDroid'.

'What we have done,' says Jacqueline Floch, 'is give people a way of controlling the everyday functions on their phones. You can link incoming calls to your calendar and location. If you're in a meeting or at a concert, you can set the phone so that it automatically diverts calls. You can also choose to receive calls from 'important' people, send a text when the meeting is over, or forward the call to someone else. There are many options. The point is that you are in control and can put things together in any way you like.'

City Explorer

In order to demonstrate to a broader audience how they envisage these tools made of different building blocks, the SINTEF researchers have developed the City Explorer application. This is an Android app that enables users to create their own city guide.

The app lets people create or edit places and itineraries in a city, and the new prototype includes three examples for Trondheim: one for tourists, one for people interested in architecture, and one for visitors interested in sculptures.

'Again, the important thing is that people can put things together just as they want,' says Jacqueline Floch. 'We are interested in adding to existing functions, so that the user can create their own "menu list."

For example, you can set your phone to go to silent mode in specific locations. Or you can get your phone to automatically obtain the bus timetable for the next stop on a given itinerary, and remind you when you are due to be arriving at that stop. Some people prefer to do this manually, while others are easily distracted and forget to do it. People are different, and that's why we want to give them the option of controlling everyday things themselves.'

The research group now needs funding for further work, which will focus on the elderly and AAL -- Ambient Assisted Living, or welfare technology.

Fact box: UbiSys -- framework for end user service development. UbiSys is made up of three tools: UbiCompPro -- a tool for professionals, which they use to develop 'building blocks'. UbiComposer -- an editor for end users, which they use to put together building blocks. UbiCompRun -- middleware (runtime platform), used to execute services put together by users.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by SINTEF. The original article was written by Åse Dragland.

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Information and communication technologies allow electrical consumption to be reduced by one third

Nov. 12, 2012 — Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may allow a thirty percent reduction in electrical consumption in cities. This is what is demonstrated by a European research project that Universidad Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) has participated in. The results were presented after analysis showed how to optimize the use of residential consumption and generation infrastructures.

The scientists and technologists who are participating in the ENERsip project have formed a consortium of ten partners from five European countries led by the Spanish company Tecnalia; they have designed, developed, and validated an ICT platform that allows residential electrical consumption to be reduced by 30 percent, while also integrating micro-generating installations using renewable energy, such as photovoltaic solar panels installed on the roofs of homes.

The key to obtaining these results lies in two strategies: reducing the consumption of electricity in homes (around 15 to 20 percent) and adjusting the consumption and generation of electricity in districts (approximately 15 to 20 percent). First, the system "gives the users information regarding their consumption, allowing them to identify the appliances that use the most energy; it then suggests possible solutions, attempting to modify certain behaviors and fomenting good practices that allow consumers to reduce their electricity bill," explains Professor José Ignacio Moreno, of the UC3M's Department of Telematic Engineering. In this way, the ENERsip platform allows appliances to be monitored by networks of sensors and actuators so that they can be controlled wirelessly by using web applications.

In addition, the system they have designed carries out automatic actions that allow the consumption in homes within a district to be adjusted as much as possible so that they use renewable energy generated by sources from within the same district, thus reducing energy flows and, consequently, energy losses and costs. "This type of action falls within what is know as electricity demand management," indicates another of the UC3M researchers, Gregorio López. For example, he comments, the temperature could be raised by a few degrees in the summer (or lowered in winter) in hundreds of thousands of homes during the periods of lowest production of renewable energy in a district, or the programmed running of certain appliances (dishwashers, washing machines) can be moved to a time period when renewable energy production its at its peak. "Of course," López points out, "those households would have agreed in advance to participate in this type of program in exchange for certain incentives, and pre-established levels of comfort would never be compromised."

Intelligent and efficient electrical grids

The conclusion of this project, which falls within what is known as Smart Grid framework, is that, thanks to the automatic actions that using ICTs permits, savings in electrical consumption of up to 30 percent can be achieved. To obtain these results, the researchers tested the system in various computer simulations; they validated the platform in a pilot project carried out in three buildings located in different geographic points of Israel. Moreover, these figures are in the same range of those which appear in reports on other projects, such as SMART 2020, for example, which estimates that the application of ICTs to improve energy efficiency could result in a savings of approximately 600 billion Euros globally in the year 2020.

A few basic ICT installations would be sufficient to make the ENERsip platform work. Specifically, the platform would require networks with sensors and actuators for the consumption and micro-generation infrastructures, an Internet connection and a web application that would allow access from any device connected to the Web (although the ENERsip project itself also uses a dedicated core communications infrastructure that offers certain advantages). "It could be implemented from any home equipped with the typical consumer infrastructure or consumer and micro-generation infrastructure," José Ignacio Moreno states. The team he heads at UC3M has been in charge of the formal design and modeling of the communications architecture of the ENERsip platform, as well as the software simulations to evaluate the performance of that architecture. In addition, he has participated in the design and definition of the platform's integration and validation phases and scenarios; he has reported on the progress of the research through technical articles presented at key communication conferences, such as INFOCOM 2011 and ICC 2012.

The ENERsip consortium, which is formed by ten partners from five European countries, is led by the Spanish company Tecnalia and includes the participation of various leading companies in the field, such as Amplia Soluciones (Spain), Honeywell (Czech Republic), IEC (Israel Electric Corporation, Israel), ISA (Intelligent Sensing Anywhere, Portugal), ISASTUR (Ingeniería y Suministros de Asturias S.A., Spain), MSIL (Motorola Solutions Israel Ltd, Israel), as well as research centers such the ISR-UC (Institute of Systems and Robotics-University of Coimbra, Portugal), UC3M (Universidad Carlos III of Madrid, Spain) and VITO (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek, Belgium).

Project Web: www.enersip-project.eu

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