Intrinsic TLI surface tag directly authenticated by a SEM (closeout report). [Treaty Limited Item (TLI)]

The objective of this task was to develop a unique identifier (tag) for Treaty-Limited Items (TLIs) in arms control applications. This tag is authenticated by the direct attachment of a portable Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to the TLI. It is an intrinsic tag with two distinct TLI surface-authentication signatures, consisting of topography and atomic composition. Authentication is accomplished by comparing the field-inspection signature with the baseline signature. Because this tag has two unique signatures, it is considered extremely resistant to counterfeit attempts. Since commercial SEMs are large instruments intended to observe small samples introduced into a vacuum chamber integral to the instrument, it was initially necessary to demonstrate that interfacing an SEM to a large TLI was feasible. The first phase demonstrated that an SEM could obtain high- resolution images of a large, curved, simulated TLI surface. A used commercial SEM was modified to accomplish the first phase. The second phase began with a systematic evaluation of the design alternatives necessary to produce a portable SEM suitable for TLI tag authentication. Since the electron column design of the SEM was the central component that drove the selection of the rest of the system, this phase continued with a preliminary design of the column. A novel design of the column's electromagnetic lenses combined both permanent magnets and magnetic coils, significantly reducing the required lens power and weight. Prototype condenser and objective lenses were built and tested to prove that this approach was viable. Based upon the results of the second phase, a 0.1-micrometer (4-micro-inch) resolution SEM is feasible. The total system would weigh 52-Kg including a 7-Kg electron column

The Shifting Network: Volume Signalling in Real and Robot Nervous Systems

This paper presents recent work in computational modelling of diffusing gaseous neuromodulators in biological nervous systems. It goes on to describe work in adaptive autonomous systems directly inspired by this: an exploration of the use of virtual diffusing modulators in robot nervous systems built from non-standard artificial neural networks. These virtual chemicals act over space and time modulating a variety of node and connection properties in the networks. A wide variety of rich dynamics are possible in such systems; in the work described here, evolutionary robotics techniques have been used to harness the dynamics to produce autonomous behaviour in mobile robots. Detailed comparative analyses of evolutionary searches, and search spaces, for robot controllers with and without the virtual gases are introduced. The virtual diffusing modulators are found to provide significant advantages

Volume Signalling in Real and Robot Nervous Systems

This paper presents recent work in computational modelling of diffusing gaseous neuromodulators in biological nervous systems. A variety of interesting and significant properties of such four dimensional neural signalling systems are demonstrated. It is shown that the morphology of the neuromodulator source plays a highly significant role in the diffusion patterns observed. The paper goes on to describe work in adaptive autonomous systems directly inspired by this: an exploration of the use of virtual diffusing modulators in robot nervous systems built from non-standard artificial neural networks. These virtual chemicals act over space and time modulating a variety of node and connection properties in the networks. A wide variety of rich dynamics are possible in such systems; in the work described here, evolutionary robotics techniques have been used to harness the dynamics to produce autonomous behaviour in mobile robots. Detailed comparative analyses of evolutionary searches, and search spaces, for robot controllers with and without the virtual gases are introduced. The virtual diffusing modulators are found to provide significant advantages