Logic Gates
In a generation of revolutionary inventions, companies must fight to remain at the top of the technological food chain. While new ideas continue to grow bigger, everything else seems to be getting smaller (Loyd Alter. TLC). Desktop computers have been replaced by laptops and tablets. Land lines have been replaced by cell phones. Radios have been replaced by mobile mp3 players. Everything relies on the idea of mobility and efficiency. Of course, smaller machines usually require smaller components in order for them to work. Logic gates, processors, and transistors are just a few of the many miniscule elements that compose an entire working computer unit.
The objective of this year’s BEST game theme is to produce a brand new CPU for Squeaky 2.0. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the part of a computer or robot that performs all main functions, such as arithmetic, logic, and control ("CPU - Central Processing Unit."). Its small internal mechanisms are made up of different combinations of logic gates, which perform various functions for the CPU. A logic gate is a device that takes a number of logic inputs and produces a single logic output, all through the use of Boolean algebra. Logic gates are often used with diodes or transistors through a process known as diode logic. However, this is an incomplete method that only allows some of the gates to be built. Not to mention, most processors require very detailed and complex functions, so there has to be some way to amplify the outputs. In order build a complete and functioning logic system, many different components must be utilized, such as relays, vacuum tubes, and transistors.
Now, to anyone without a background in computer technology, most of the previous paragraph would be a bit difficult to comprehend. Therefore, let’s go over some vocabulary. The CPU is the brain of the computer or robot; it is the center of all operations and controls. Boolean logic, introduced by Claude E. Shannon, is the system of information that computers utilize to carry out their functions, and it is based on a binary code of 0’s and 1’s. Binary codes are then translated as inputs and outputs. A logic gate is a small circuit composed of both transistors, which amplify signals to open or close the circuit, and resistors, which limit and regulate signals in the circuit. These gates control which outputs are chosen in the computer’s decision-making processes. The three basic logic gates are known as the AND, OR, and NOT gates. These three can combine in many ways to produce unique results based on what the processor needs. The other four, known as the XOR, NOR, NAND, and XNOR gates, are much more complex (“Logic Gates.” What Is?). In order to manufacture a new CPU for Squeaky 2.0, the robot must be able to take the necessary steps for production. CPU’s are made up of integrated circuits composed of multiple sets of logic gates. In turn, logic gates are constructed from large amounts of transistors. Without these individual pieces, the BEST CPU will never reach the final stages of fabrication.
Over time, logic gates have evolved in incredible ways. Their very first implementations were mechanical, with Charles Babbage’s Analytical Machine in 1837 ("Logic Gate" Wikipedia). This primitive form of logic was through the use of mechanical gears that worked together in order to perform specific operations. In the 1890’s, Almon Strowger and Nikola Tesla pushed logic gate relays a little further into modern technology with their utilization of the switch circuit. Eventually, relays were replaced with vacuum tubes, which greatly improved the rate of logic operations. However, the entire method remained disordered and scattered; thankfully, Ludwig Wittgenstein, provided an organized display of how inputs and outputs worked together with his 16-row truth table. This table was composed of multiple columns, each containing a possible input variable, and a final column to present all possible outcome responses. As previously mentioned, Claude Shannon proposed the idea of introducing Boolean mathematics into the logic process and switching circuits in the year 1937. After another twenty years of development, the very first modern electronic gate was introduced by Walter Bothe, rewarding him with a Nobel Prize. To this day, logic gates have improved tremendously with great variation and complexity, and nearly all electronic devices employ logic gates within their processing systems.
Just last year, researchers took logic gates an entire step further in their technological developments: out of computer CPU’s and into molecular biology. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have generated living cells that replicate the functions of the AND and OR Boolean-based logic gates, and they are able to create functioning computer circuits from these live organisms (Ben Johnson. Slate Magazine). The scientists claim that, eventually, they will be able to build an entire cellular computer. This practice of building biological components for technological purposes is known as synthetic biology. Earlier research discovered that it was possible to produce logic gates from molecules, but Johns Hopkins University’s method is much faster and more efficient. This relatively new science is also being studied at several local research facilities, such as at the Auburn University College of Sciences and The Coalition for BioMolecular Products at the University of Alabama. In the future, these living logic gates will be utilized for things such as medicinal improvements, military weapon development, and “greener” everyday materials (Khalil, Ahmad. Nature.com).
The range of possibilities for logic gates, both electronic and biologic, is vast and ever-expanding. This year’s BEST Robotics Gatekeeper Competition, however, simplifies the process into the three main steps: collect transistors to form logic gates, group logic gates to build circuits, and organize circuits to construct the brand new BEST-manufactured CPU for Squeaky 2.0.
Works Cited
Over time, logic gates have evolved in incredible ways. Their very first implementations were mechanical, with Charles Babbage’s Analytical Machine in 1837 ("Logic Gate" Wikipedia). This primitive form of logic was through the use of mechanical gears that worked together in order to perform specific operations. In the 1890’s, Almon Strowger and Nikola Tesla pushed logic gate relays a little further into modern technology with their utilization of the switch circuit. Eventually, relays were replaced with vacuum tubes, which greatly improved the rate of logic operations. However, the entire method remained disordered and scattered; thankfully, Ludwig Wittgenstein, provided an organized display of how inputs and outputs worked together with his 16-row truth table. This table was composed of multiple columns, each containing a possible input variable, and a final column to present all possible outcome responses. As previously mentioned, Claude Shannon proposed the idea of introducing Boolean mathematics into the logic process and switching circuits in the year 1937. After another twenty years of development, the very first modern electronic gate was introduced by Walter Bothe, rewarding him with a Nobel Prize. To this day, logic gates have improved tremendously with great variation and complexity, and nearly all electronic devices employ logic gates within their processing systems.
Just last year, researchers took logic gates an entire step further in their technological developments: out of computer CPU’s and into molecular biology. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have generated living cells that replicate the functions of the AND and OR Boolean-based logic gates, and they are able to create functioning computer circuits from these live organisms (Ben Johnson. Slate Magazine). The scientists claim that, eventually, they will be able to build an entire cellular computer. This practice of building biological components for technological purposes is known as synthetic biology. Earlier research discovered that it was possible to produce logic gates from molecules, but Johns Hopkins University’s method is much faster and more efficient. This relatively new science is also being studied at several local research facilities, such as at the Auburn University College of Sciences and The Coalition for BioMolecular Products at the University of Alabama. In the future, these living logic gates will be utilized for things such as medicinal improvements, military weapon development, and “greener” everyday materials (Khalil, Ahmad. Nature.com).
The range of possibilities for logic gates, both electronic and biologic, is vast and ever-expanding. This year’s BEST Robotics Gatekeeper Competition, however, simplifies the process into the three main steps: collect transistors to form logic gates, group logic gates to build circuits, and organize circuits to construct the brand new BEST-manufactured CPU for Squeaky 2.0.
Works Cited
- Alter, Loyd. "Get Smaller Stuff: Technology Just Keeps Making Things Smaller." TLC. TLC, n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. <http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/live-big-small-space4.htm>.
- "CPU - Central Processing Unit." Webopedia. Webopedia, n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2013. <http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/CPU.html>.
- Johnson, Ben. "Researchers Turn Living Cells Into Logic Gates, Moving Toward Cell Circuits." Slate Magazine. Slate Magazine, n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2013. <http://www.slate.com/blogs/trending/2012/05/31/researchers_turn_living_cells_into_logic_gates_moving_toward_cell_circuits.html>.
- Khalil, Ahmad S. "Synthetic Biology: Applications Come of Age." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v11/n5/abs/nrg2775.html>.
- "Learning Logic Gates with Minecraft." Instructables.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. <http://www.instructables.com/id/Learning-Logic-Gates-with-Minecraft/>.
- "Logic Gates." What Is? N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. <http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/logic-gate-AND-OR-XOR-NOT-NAND-NOR-and-XNOR>.
- "Logic Gate." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2013. Web. 1 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_gate>.
Last edited by Chandler Bise from BrewTech Robotics Inc. on 11/16/13 at 4:45 PM