Seminar Topics - Brain Computer Interface

Brain-Computer interface is a staple of science fiction writing.  Init's earliest  incarnations nomechanism was thought necessary, as the  technology seemed so far fetched that no explanation was likely.   As more became known about the brain however, the possibility has become more real and the science fiction more technically sophisticated.  Recently, the cyberpunk movement has adopted the idea of 'jacking in', sliding 'biosoft' chips into slots implanted in the skull (Gibson, W. 1984).  

                              Although such  biosofts are still science fiction, there have been several recent steps toward interfacing the brain and computers.  Chief among these are techniques for stimulating and recording from areas of the brain with   permanently implanted electrodes and using conscious control of EEG to control computers. 

                                         

                                        Some preliminary work is being done on synapsing neurons on silicon transformers and on growing neurons into neural networks on top of computer chips.The most advanced work in designing a brain-computer interface has stemmed   from the evolution of traditional electrodes.  There are essentially two main problems, stimulating the brain (input) and recording from the brain (output).

                             

                                        Traditionally, both input and output were handled by electrodes pulled from metal wires and glass tubing.Using conventional electrodes, multi-unit recordings can be constructed from mutlibarrelled pipettes.   In addition to being fragile and bulky, the electrodes in these arrays are often too far apart, as most fine neural processes are only .1 to 2 µm apart.

                                   

 

                      Pickard describes a new type   of electrode, which circumvents many of the problems listed above.  These printed circuit micro-electrodes (PCMs) are manufactured in the same manner of computer chips.  A design of a chip is photoreduced to produce an image on a photosensitive glass plate. This is used as a mask, which covers a UV sensitive glass or plastic film.

   A PCM has three essential elements:

                           1) the tissue terminals,

                           2) a circuit board controlling or reading from the terminals      

                           3) a Input/Output controller-interpreter,  such as a computer.                                     

Engineering Seminar Topics

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SIP

Session Initiation Protocol
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a protocol developed by IETF MMUSIC Working Group and proposed standard for initiating, modifying, and terminating an interactive user session that involves multimedia elements such as video, voice, instant messaging, online games, and virtual reality.
SIP clients traditionally use TCP and UDP port 5060 to connect to SIP servers and other SIP endpoints. SIP is primarily used in setting up and tearing down voice or video calls. However, it can be used in any application where session initiation is a requirement. These include, Event Subscription and Notification, Terminal mobility and so on. There are a large number of SIP-related RFCs that define behavior for such applications. All voice/video communications are done over RTP.
A motivating goal for SIP was to provide a signaling and call setup protocol for IP-based communications that can support a superset of the call processing functions and features present in the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
SIP enabled telephony networks can also implement many of the more advanced call processing features present in Signalling System 7 (SS7), though the two protocols themselves are very different. SS7 is a highly centralized protocol, characterized by highly complex central network architecture and dumb endpoints (traditional telephone handsets). SIP is a peer-to-peer protocol.

SIP network elements

Hardware endpoints, devices with the look, feel, and shape of a traditional telephone, but that use SIP and RTP for communication, are commercially available from several vendors. Some of these can use Electronic Numbering (ENUM) or DUNDi to translate existing phone numbers to SIP addresses using DNS, so calls to other SIP users can bypass the telephone network, even though your service provider might normally act as a gateway to the PSTN network for traditional phone numbers (and charge you for it).

SIP makes use of elements called proxy servers to help route requests to the user s current location, authenticate and authorize users for services, implement provider call-routing policies, and provide features to users.
SIP also provides a registration function that allows users to upload their current locations for use by proxy servers.
Since registrations play an important role in SIP, a User Agent Server that handles a REGISTER is given the special name registrar.
It is an important concept that the distinction between types of SIP servers is logical, not physical.

Robocode

Robocode is an Open Source educational game by Mathew Nelson (originally R was provided by IBM). It is designed to help people learn to program in Java and enjoy the experience. It is very easy to start - a simple robot can be written in just a few minutes - but perfecting a bot can take months or more. Competitors write software that controls a miniature tank that fights other identically-built (but differently programmed) tanks in a playing field. Robots move, shoot at each other, scan for each other, and hit the walls (or other robots) if they aren t careful. Though the idea of this game may seem simple, the actual strategy needed to win is not.Good robots have hundreds of lines in their code dedicated to strategy. Some of the more successful robots use techniques such as statistical analysis and attempts at neural networks in their designs. One can test a robot against many other competitors by downloading their bytecode, so design competition is fierce. Robocode provides a security sandbox (bots are restricted in what they can do on the machine they run on) which makes this a safe thing to do.Topic Taken From Seminar Topics

Active Pixel Sensor

An active pixel sensor (APS) is an image sensor consisting of an integrated circuit containing an array of pixels, each containing a photodetector as well as three or more transistors. Since it can be produced by an ordinary CMOS process, APS is emerging as an inexpensive alternative to CCDs.ArchitecturePixelThe standard CMOS APS pixel consists of three transistors as well as a photodetector.The photodetector is usually a photodiode, though photogate detectors are used in some devices and can offer lower noise through the use of correlated double sampling. Light causes an accumulation, or integration of charge on the 'parasitic' capacitance of the photodiode, creating a voltage change related to the incident light.One transistor, Mrst, acts as a switch to reset the device. When this transistor is turned on, the photodiode is effectively connected to the power supply, VRST, clearing all integrated charge. Since the reset transistor is n-type, the pixel operates in soft reset.The second transistor, Msf, acts as a buffer (specifically, a source follower), an amplifier which allows the pixel voltage to be observed without removing the accumulated charge. Its power supply, VDD, is typically tied to the power supply of the reset transistor.The third transistor, Msel, is the row-select transistor. It is a switch that allows a single row of the pixel array to be read by the read-out electronics.ArrayA typical two-dimensional array of pixels is organized into rows and columns. Pixels in a given row share reset lines, so that a whole row is reset at a time. The row select lines of each pixel in a row are tied together as well. The outputs of each pixel in any given column are tied together. Since only one row is selected at a given time, no competition for the output line occurs. Further amplifier circuitry is typically on a column basis.

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