Articulated mechanisms, such as walking robots or robotic arms, can be understood as a set of rigid links connected to each other by joints. The joints are put into motion using motors, sensors that i...
Learn More

Iterative image reconstruction techniques can be used to produce high quality tomographic images from noise-contaminated data. It is known that a statistical weight is critical for great image quality...
Learn More

Monopole antennas are a type of radio antenna consisting of a straight, rod-shaped conductor often mounted perpendicularly over a conductive surface (a ‘ground plane’) such as the earth. This type...
Learn More

Approximately 15 million Americans suffer from a swallowing disorder (dysphagia). People with acid reflux, a neurological disorder or cancer of the head and neck are particularly at risk. The leading ...
Learn More

In contrast to random access memory (RAM), content addressable memories (CAMs) allow data to be located simply by knowing the desired data value. CAM memory receives the desired value and then returns...
Learn More

Computer ‘interrupts’ are signals received by a processor that cause it to switch from a present task or thread to a different one. Interrupts can be generated by hardware or software, or even exe...
Learn More

Achieving energy efficiency is important in mobile computing devices like smartphones and tablets because they rely on battery power but are constrained by size and weight. Moreover, these devices inc...
Learn More

With conventional image reconstruction, a single image is produced from a corresponding set of data. For example, an image can be reconstructed from a single CT sonogram or one MRI data set. Such dire...
Learn More

A database system combines hardware and software to manage and selectively access the large amounts of data it holds. Such a structure may hold data elements organized in logical rows and columns (for...
Learn More

With public cloud computing, customers pay a flat hourly rate for a bundle of virtualized resources called ‘instances’ from a service provider. Providers may sell a variety of instance types that...
Learn More

High dynamic range (HDR) video delivers imagery in a wide range of light intensities, from sunlight to dark shadows. This provides a truer brightness that can significantly enhance viewers’ experien...
Learn More

Tracking emissions, sensing earthquakes and monitoring patient brain waves are just a few of the applications that rely on changing, real-world information. In typical systems, sensors pass on raw dat...
Learn More

Many data-intensive networked systems rely on high-performance indexes that link pairs of ‘keys’ with storage addresses. These indexes help locate and process large volumes (i.e., terabytes) of da...
Learn More

To execute a computer program, a processor can access memory to read or write data. The accessed data may be identified by a unique physical address. Modern systems are able to hide the physical addre...
Learn More

To reliably transmit and store data, error detection/correction techniques are employed to guard against data corruption. Generally, such protection can be achieved by inserting redundant bits in the ...
Learn More

Computer processors have cache memories that reduce delays spent waiting for data from the main memory. Data expected to be used by the processor in executing a program are loaded into these caches.Ca...
Learn More

Cache memories play a critical role in reducing a computer system’s energy. Generally, they are fast access memories that store data reflecting locations in a corresponding main memory. Typically, t...
Learn More

In chemical manufacturing, a production system may receive and process raw materials in multiple steps, with each step or task associated with a certain procedure or tool. Ideally, each step is schedu...
Learn More

Graphic processing units (GPUs) are specialized for graphics but also work with conventional computer processing units (CPUs) to accelerate different applications. In normal operation, the CPU loads d...
Learn More

Touch screen systems have many advantages, including simplification of the user's task and elimination of a separate keyboard. However, touch screen systems present an insurmountable barrier to ma...
Learn More

Networks allow data exchange between linked computers. Data messages are divided into packets, which are able to navigate complex and changing networks. A router, or switch, reads packet addresses and...
Learn More

Wireless sensing technology provides an unprecedented ability to monitor the physical environment by using a network of cheap sensor nodes. Current approaches to extracting information from a wireless...
Learn More

In wireless telecommunications, signals are transmitted and received over transmission channels within a limited range of frequencies, typically between 0.7 GHz to 6 GHz for domestic applications. Due...
Learn More

‘Exceptions’ are occurrences during the execution of a computer program that interrupt the normal program flow dictated by the instructions themselves. These include non-valid instructions, like d...
Learn More

Ultrawideband technologies, including certain wireless communication and radar operations, receive and transmit information across a broad swath of radio frequencies by radiating narrow pulses of info...
Learn More