Welcome to the Claytronics Project

Collaborative Research in Programmable Matter Directed by Carnegie Mellon and Intel

This project combines modular robotics, systems nanotechnology and computer science to create the dynamic, 3-Dimensional display of electronic information known as claytronics.

Our goal is to give tangible, interactive forms to information so that a user's senses will experience digital environments as though they are indistinguishable from reality.

Claytronics is taking place across a rapidly advancing frontier. This technology will help to drive breathtaking advances in the design and engineering of computing and hardware systems. 

Our research team focuses on two main projects:

• Creating the basic modular building block of claytronics known as the claytronic atom or catom, and
• Designing and writing robust and reliable software programs that will manage the shaping of ensembles of millions of catoms into dynamic, 3-Dimensional forms.

Realizing the vision of claytronics through the self-assembly of millions of catoms into synthetic reality will have a profound effect on the experience of users of electronic information. This promise of claytronic technology has become possible because of the ever increasing speeds of computer processing predicted in Moore's Law. 

This website will introduce you to the ideas that are driving claytronics, the research team that is working to make it happen, and the hardware and software projects that enable the building of claytronic ensembles.

Development of this powerful form of information display represents a partnership between the School of Computer Sciences of Carnegie Mellon University, Intel Corporation at its Pittsburgh Laboratory and FEMTO-ST Institute. As an integral part of our philosophy, the Claytronics Project seeks the contributions of scholars and researchers worldwide who are dedicating their efforts to the diverse scientific and engineering studies related to this rich field of nanotechnology and computer science. 

To understand the future of claytronics, watch the concept video [.mov] created by Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center.

Use the links to the left to see a list of publications, some videos and photos documenting our progress, a partial list of talks we have given, and people working on the project.

ORIGINAL: CMU

Teenage Girl Explores Algae-Powered Biofuel, Wins Intel Science Talent Search

ORIGINAL: Intel

IntelPR en Intel Newsroom
12-mar-2013

Sara Volz of Colorado Springs, Colo. wins $100,000 Award from the Intel Foundation

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 12, 2013 – First-place winner Sara Volz, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo. (center), second-place winner Jonah Kallenbach, 17, of Ambler, Pa. (left), and third-place winner Adam Bowman, 17, of Brentwood, Tenn. (right) celebrate their awards at the Intel Science Talent Search, the nation's oldest and most prestigious high school science research competition. A program of Society for Science & the Public, the competition encourages high school seniors to seek solutions to some of the world’s largest problems, from medical treatments to environmental solutions.The Intel Science Talent Search, the nation's oldest and most prestigious high school science and math competition, recognizes 40 high school seniors who are leaders in innovation and seeking to solve some of the world's greatest challenges.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Sara Volz, who investigated increasing the oil content of algae to create an economically viable source of biofuel, received the top award of $100,000 at the Intel Science Talent Search 2013, a program of Society for Science & the Public.

Other finalists from across the United States took home additional awards totaling $530,000.

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Sara Volz. PopSci

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 12, 2013 – Innovation, from improving robot navigation to advancing treatment for breast cancer, is thriving today in the nation's capital. Honoring high school seniors with exceptional promise in math and science, Intel Corporation and Society for Science & the Public (SSP) recognized the winners of what is considered the nation's most elite and demanding high school research competition, the Intel Science Talent Search.

Sara Volz, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo., won the top award of $100,000 from the Intel Foundation for her research of algae biofuels. Algae produces oil that can be converted into a sustainable, renewable fuel; however, the fuel can be costly. Sara used artificial selection to establish populations of algae cells with high oil content, which are essential for an economically feasible biofuel. Sara, who built a home lab under her loft bed, sleeps on the same light cycle as her algae.

Second-place honors and $75,000 went to Jonah Kallenbach, 17, of Ambler, Pa., whose bioinformatics study breaks new ground in predicting protein binding for drug therapy. Jonah solved an open problem first posed several years ago, and his work suggests a new path to drug design by targeting a protein's disordered regions. His research may open doors to treatment for diseases, such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer and tuberculosis.

Third-place honors and $50,000 went to Adam Bowman, 17, of Brentwood, Tenn., who successfully designed and built a compact and inexpensive, low-energy, pulsed plasma device. Typical plasma sources are large, complicated and expensive. Using his inexpensive technology, Adam believes plasma research can now be conducted in small-scale operations and even high school labs.

"The Intel Science Talent Search is an opportunity to reshape the dialogue around our nation's youth," said Wendy Hawkins, executive director of the Intel Foundation. "We believe it's crucial to Sara Volz of Colorado Springs, Colo. wins $100,000 Award from the Intel Foundation U.S. innovation to bring greater attention to math and science achievement, encourage more youth to embrace these fields, and demonstrate the impact these subjects have on our country's future success."