Prof. Neil GershenfeldDirector

http://cba.mit.edu/~neilg

NSF CCR-0122419

Bits and Atoms:Bits and Atoms:Grand ChallengesGrand ChallengesBits and Atoms:Bits and Atoms:

Grand ChallengesGrand Challenges

it from bit: how can functional description be embodied in physical form?

bit from it: how can functional description be abstracted from physical form?

statistical-mechanical engineering

quantum-mechanical engineeringanalog logic

silicon biology

RF biologycomputational assembly

personal fabricationprogrammable design

ThresholdsThresholdsThresholdsThresholds

noise

errors

1948: Communications (Shannon)

1963: Computation (Winograd, von Neumann)

~2003: Fabrication (Jacobson, Knight, …)

RF BiologyRF BiologyRF BiologyRF Biology

Remote Electronic Control of DNA Hybridization Through Inductive Coupling to an Attached Metal

Nanocrystal Antenna, K. Hamad-Schifferli, J.J. Schwartz, A.T. Santos, S.G. Zhang, and J.M.

Jacobson, Nature (415) pp. 152-155, 2002

MicroencapsulatedMicroencapsulatedElectropheresisElectropheresis

MicroencapsulatedMicroencapsulatedElectropheresisElectropheresis

B. Comiskey, J.D. Albert,H. Yoshizawa and J. Jacobson

An Electrophoretic Ink for All-PrintedReflective Electronic Displays

Nature (394), 253-5 (1998)

NanotecticsNanotecticsNanotecticsNanotecticsBrent Ridley, Babak Nivi, and Joseph Jacobson,

All-Inorganic Field Effect Transistors Fabricated by Printing,Science (286) 746, 1999

Printed MemoryPrinted MemoryPrinted MemoryPrinted Memory(Brian Hubert)

3D Inkjet Printing3D Inkjet Printing3D Inkjet Printing3D Inkjet Printing

(Joe Jacobson)

Printed Electro-Mechanical SystemsPrinted Electro-Mechanical SystemsPrinted Electro-Mechanical SystemsPrinted Electro-Mechanical Systems

MEMS ($1B, 1) vs PEMS ($1k, 1mm)

nm

mm

μm

in outFabricationFabricationFabricationFabrication

m

Making AnythingMaking AnythingMaking AnythingMaking Anything

How To MakeHow To Make(almost) Anything(almost) Anything

How To MakeHow To Make(almost) Anything(almost) Anything

How To Make Something That Makes (almost) Anything

ScreamBodyScreamBodyScreamBodyScreamBody(Kelly Dobson)

Interpet ExplorerInterpet ExplorerInterpet ExplorerInterpet Explorer(Irene Pepperberg, Ben Resner)

Personal Toy FabricationPersonal Toy FabricationPersonal Toy FabricationPersonal Toy Fabrication

The Liberal ArtsThe Liberal ArtsThe Liberal ArtsThe Liberal Arts

The Trivium• Grammar • Rhetoric • Logic

The Quadrivium• Arithmetic • Geometry • Music • Astronomy

Liberation, Mastery

Literacy

CBA Fab LabsCBA Fab LabsCBA Fab LabsCBA Fab Labs(Computer Clubhouses, Congress,

National Academies, World Bank, …)

fabrication, instrumentation divides

Boston

Costa Rica

PCB fab

3D scan/mill

analyticalinstrumentation

modularelectronics

India

Norway

space (m), time (s)

Fab Lab ProcessesFab Lab ProcessesFab Lab ProcessesFab Lab Processes

• Precision machining– PCBs

– 3D output

• NC cutting– flex circuits

– antennas

– interconnect

– masks

• Instrumentation– optical spectroscopy

– microscopy

– metrology

– 3D scanning

• Instrumentation Development– Towers

– Internet 0

– microcontroller programming

Diesel TimingDiesel TimingDiesel TimingDiesel Timing (Kalbag, Ike Chuang, Amy Sun, Anil Bahuman)

Appropriate Optical SpectroscopyAppropriate Optical SpectroscopyAppropriate Optical SpectroscopyAppropriate Optical Spectroscopy(Caroline McEnnis, Jason Taylor, Debu Goswami)

The TowerThe TowerThe TowerThe Tower• microcontroller• A/D• high-speed A/D• keyboard• camera• SRAM

(Bakhtiar Mikhak, Chris Lyon)

• NC mill• oscilloscope• Net computer• …

• FLASH• DC motor• servo motor• solenoid• LEDs• LCD

• MIDI• audio• RS-232• RS-485• Tower bus• I2C

• USART• USB• ethernet• 802.11b• protoboard• clock

Internet 0Internet 0Internet 0Internet 0

power

analog I/O

programming

controlserial

• IP to leaf nodes• bit size > net size• shared analog modulation• peers don’t need servers• physical programming• implement function, not spec• open standards

(Raffi Krikorian, Sun, …)

ethernet

$1-10 1-10kB

RS-485, IR, ultrasound, powerline, …

CommodityCommodityIncrementalIncremental

InfrastructureInfrastructure

CommodityCommodityIncrementalIncremental

InfrastructureInfrastructureBAWUG, OpenAP, mesh routing

$1-200/hop

Electronic ShepherdElectronic ShepherdElectronic ShepherdElectronic Shepherd(Haakon Karlson, Solvik Gård, Telenor)

LynLynLynLyn

DebuggingDebuggingDebuggingDebugging(Delhi Clubhouse, Mitch Resnick)

SadbhavanaSadbhavanaSadbhavanaSadbhavana(Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray, ret.)

To Follow UpTo Follow UpTo Follow UpTo Follow Up

http://cba.mit.edu/~neilg

Cambridge Series on Information and the Natural SciencesHenry Holt and Company

gersh@cba.mit.edu