Things That Think

Time for some crystal-ball glazing and to know what the future will be like and how we can partake in it.

We have completed a compact 24-hour Think Robotics program, and the experience has been good. The participants designed and built a robot programmed to move, pause, take readings through sensors ( light, temperature and angle ) at designated work stations. The data was then downloaded to a personal computer (PC) and organised into the desired structure for analysis. The output was in a graphical form for ease of visualisation and the participants were able to interpret the results correctly. We are a step closer to make the machine more interactive and useful to the users.

What we would really like is for things that can think and help to make decisions for us. Critical to this is the ability to develop sensors that are so ubiquitous and cheap to produce ( fabricate ) that they can be economically deployed.

Here is where we chanced upon a book entitled " When Things Start to Think" by Neil Gershenfeld, head of Physics and Media Group and co-director of the Things That Think research consortium at the MIT Media Laboratory.

Exciting things that are a reality today or a possibility includes quantum cryptography, smart sensors , quantum computing etc. Due to the characteristics of photons, electrons and atoms ( particularly oscillation attributes ) experimenters have been able to transmit data ( potentially in huge quantity ) and because they occur so naturally they can be easily and cheaply harvested. So in the foreseeable future smart sensors ( smart dusts ) can be sprinkled over vineyards, mixed into concrete and data ( temperature, moisture, pressure, light, acidity levels ) can be monitored and recorded for analysis.

In essence we are looking at the huge computing capabilities that quantum mechanics ( computing ) can offer that conventional computing methods are finding it increasingly difficult to match ( more and more computing power at lower and lower cost ). It is said that under the conventional computing methodology ( shrinking silicon circuits, wire of one atom wide, memory cells of one electron ) , we will reach a threshold sometime around 2020 when a fab plant will be so costly to build ( GNP of the whole planet ) to satisfy demands for more powerful and faster chips that they are economically infeasible.

As part of the curriculum for our Think Robotic program, we will endeavour to incorporate projects that will be fun for the participants, as well as remaining connected to the real world.

We would like participants to develop an appreciation of quantum mechanics and develop programming techniques that emulate the orientation of photons ( 4 states i.e. vertical, horizontal, 45 degree to the left or right of the vertical ), filter / polarisation modes ( rectlinear, diagonal ), exchange bits of information ( 0, 1 ). The experiment should demonstrate how photons can be entangled in a spooky way, and be utilised in the real world e.g. quantum game theory that can support an everyday human trait for social well-being - trust.

Have fun and wishing you a happy new year.

Keywords: domain knowledge, technology, networking, ACE, pedagogy, competency-based training, value innovations, ACEbots, micro-businesses, customer centric

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