5 ms·

Compared with CPUs and GPUs, the array is about 1M times as energy efficient

• corysama 8y ago
  ...at solving A* pathfinding. > The University of Minnesota’s ambitions for its new tech are broader than planning the path for robots, but their new in-memory “wavefront” computing chip is potentially a good match for the job. The chip is a 40 x 40 array that makes use of an unusual type of logic in which values are encoded in how long it takes a signal to pass through its gates. The elements of the array represent the vertices in a graph and the edges that connect them. By programming those elements, the graph can simulate the terrain a robot must traverse, including hills, valleys, and impassible obstacles. A wave of voltage starting at the edges sweeps across the array in a manner of nanoseconds, in the process solving the A* algorithm, which determines the shortest, lowest-energy path through the simulated terrain to a target, explained Luke Everson, a University of Minnesota Ph.D. student in the laboratory of Chris Kim. > Time-based computing’s advantages include “a very compact area and low-power consumption,” Everson said. Compared with solutions powered by CPUs and GPUs, the array is about 1 million times as energy efficient, making it a good fit for mobile robots. Future work could include a way to make wavefront pathfinding work in three dimensions.
• kristianp 8y ago
  Actual title: 3 New Chips to Help Robots Find Their Way Around