Page 46 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics

Biochip
Side
view
an angle
Bin picking problem Top view View from
The illustration denotes the example of a cylindrical drinking glass.
When seen from exactly side-on, it looks like a rectangle and its inte-
rior (left). From the top or the bottom, it looks like a circle and its interior
(center). From an intermediate angle, it has a shape similar to that
shown at right.
The problem of object recognition is compounded when a certain object
must be picked from a bin containing many other objects. Some, most, or
all of the desired object can be obscured by other objects. One of the
greatest challenges in developing artificial intelligence (AI) is giving robots
the ability to solve these kinds of problems.
One way to help a robot select items from a bin is to give each item a
code. This can be done by means of bar coding or passive transponders.
See also BAR CODING and PASSIVE TRANSPONDER.
BIOCHIP
A biochip is an integrated circuit (IC) fabricated with, or from, living matter
by means of biological processes. The term has also been suggested for
ICs manufactured using techniques that mimic the way nature puts
atoms together.
It has been suggested that the human brain is actually nothing more
than a sophisticated computer. Any digital computer, no matter how
complex, is always built up from individual logic gates.Whether the same
can be said for the human brain remains to be seen.
Nature assembles a brain (or any other living matter) by putting
protons, neutrons, and electrons together in specific, predetermined
patterns. Every proton is identical to every other proton; the same is true
for neutrons and electrons. The building blocks are simple. It is the way
they are combined that is complicated.
Based on these premises, it is reasonable to suppose that a computer
can be “grown”that is as smart as a human brain. Some researchers look at

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