The aim of the PERPLEXUS project is to develop a scalable hardware
platform made of custom reconfigurable devices endowed with
bio-inspired capabilities that will enable the simulation of
large-scale complex systems and the study of emergent complex
behaviours in a virtually unbounded wireless network of computing
modules.
At the heart of these ubiquitous computing modules (ubidules), we
will use a custom reconfigurable electronic device capable of
implementing bio-inspired mechanisms such as growth, learning, and
evolution. This reconfigurable circuit will be associated to rich
sensory elements and wireless communication capabilities.
The PERPLEXUS platform offers several advantages compared to
classical software simulations: speed-up, an inherent real-time
interaction with the environment, self-organization capabilities,
simulation in the presence of uncertainty, and distributed multi-scale
simulations.
We will test our modelling infrastructure to prove its usefulness as
a powerful and innovative simulation tool in the following
applications: neural networks modelling, culture dissemination
modelling, and cooperative collective robotics modelling. We will
perform comparisons between classical software simulations and
simulations running on a network of ubidules, our PERPLEXUS platform.
The PERPLEXUS platform will thus provide an unprecedented modelling
framework thanks to the pervasive nature of the hardware platform, its
bio-inspired capabilities, its strong interaction with the environment,
and its dynamical topology.
PERPLEXUS has come into existence thanks to a grant from the
European Commission 6th framework programme and regroups eight research
institutions, from four different countries, including an industrial
partner. PERPLEXUS runs for three years, starting from September 1st,
2006.
The users of UbiManager can download the software installer from the
UbiManager page.
The tools concerning the ubidules can be downloaded from this page.