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ORIGAMI LOGIC, ? Yeah, sure, I'll try that!
RJSV:
Thanks to Discover Mag, the coverage on Origami being shrunk down in many applications, got me thinking, (mainly about existing work in digital logic gates).
Picture shows a thing, intended just for illustration; a carelessly wound up plastic bag, and that sucker untwisted, taking up almost a full minute, moving in slow motion across the surface, as it unfolded. Amazing is how easy the mechanical 'device' build potential is, ...almost 'pesky' !
RJSV:
This second picture features the 'wound up' plastic just as released, to un-twist.
RJSV:
The first challenge would be to design an Origami equivalent (or close) to the typical RS Latch, like the '7474 flipflop.
The paper folded would be about hand-sized, and store something in the variable folds...I'm looking at storing as an IN or OUT pointing triangle, or pyramid shaped projection, in the paper.
Schematically, the switching structure could be a 'dimple' in a bigger dome-shaped base, either in, or pointing outward. Then, (as picture diagram shows) a system 'BUS' line would be a series of those domes, each positioned to bump the next dome, when a 'pulse' comes through ...(whatever THAT is,...I'm a software guy).
In such a Mechanical activated system, (shrunk down of course), might be advantage to have electronic storage on-board, for mass quantities of code segments for use.
RJSV:
Doing such a project, (and seeing the way such things often go, lol), it's tempting to try using a supervised random crumpling of paper.
A mechanical R-S Flipflop would have placed to push, similar to a push button, where the little push will cause a folded area to change, usually a simpler bi-stable deal, but would be like a mechanical latching push-button.
Push on the 'S' or 'SET' area, and the origami unit assumes the 'SET' type of shape possible.
But it's the reading and subsequent BUS activity that is challenging, to think up!
You need a simple 'Reader' or synchronizer pulse input, that, (somehow), gets transfered out as data just read, by being different, according to the data being read; That means that, for example, a 'dimple' raising output could come on either an outlet labeled as 'zero' or another as '1', according to system word size.
Note that the method is representing a binary number, but actually uses just symbols, not caring about a binary 'state'. That's actually literally 'Base One', an argument best left neglected for now ...
But the little Origami test device would resemble an older switch box, say for a drill press or other heavier shop machine, having a Start button, etc.
RJSV:
The way I see this working, is of course more than just flipflop storage. With a 'Dry BUS' the data is asserted by a brief, pulse-like or transient pushing force.
By way of an interrogation pulse, (I like to call 'Read-Sync), all the business of 'CE' or 'Chip Enable' is avoided, as the controller issues a simple 'RS' to read contents. This way, besides handling BUS contentions, the (origami) device can actively transmit or send a typical 'zero' as that being a symbol, for purposes of data transfer.
An example could be using 16 of the origami gates (or latches), as implementation of a
four-bit system (BUS)... That is; it's made up of 16 'gates' that as a set will have only one gate active, thus it implements an equivalent of 4-bit binary, while 16 physical channels are observed.
Looking at the twisted, folded cardboard thingy, you can imagine how the output, for each of the particular states, would be the rise up of the pyramid or triangle shape, thus pushing on that, distinct BUS line, going next to the device doing the reading.
That next device would have been set-up already, by way of path setting or, really, addressing. The incoming 'push' or mechanical pulse would determine which device state gets set. First would be the simple 0 and 1 set, as a single binary-like function set.
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