Abstract: An electrical device that includes a substrate; a 3D capacitor including a capacitor dielectric region of a dielectric material, a capacitor electrode region of a conductive material, the capacitor dielectric region and the capacitor electrode region being arranged at least partially inside a cavity extending in the substrate from a top face of the substrate; and a surrounding through opening in the substrate and which surrounds a surrounded substrate region, the 3D capacitor being outside of the surrounded substrate region, the surrounding through opening extending from the top face to a bottom face of the substrate, wherein inside the surrounding through opening a surrounding dielectric region of the dielectric material and a surrounding conductive region of the conductive material are arranged.

Abstract: An end-effector may include a base, a plurality of underactuated fingers coupled to the base; and an adhesion gripper coupled to the base. An end-effector may include a base, an actuator, a first underactuated finger comprising a proximal link and a distal link, the proximal link including a distal end, a guide for a first tendon spaced a first distance away from the distal end of the proximal link and the distal link including a lever arm disposed on a proximal side to the distal pad and which extends in a volar direction from a first axis, and a node disposed on the lever arm sized and shaped to receive a first tendon. The end-effector may include a first revolute joint compliant in a first direction disposed between the base and the proximal link; and a second revolute joint compliant in the first direction disposed between the proximal link and the distal link.

Abstract: A biological-electrode protection module is a monolithic component including a capacitor and a voltage-limiting component integrated in a common substrate. The capacitor component is connected in the series path between the input and output terminals. The voltage-limiting component is connected between ground and a node in the series path. The voltage-limiting component has a low breakdown voltage no greater than 6 volts and may be a biphasic device operating in the punch-through mode. Moreover, the protection module is connected to or integrated with a set of biological electrodes at a distance no greater than 1 cm. The capacitor may be a 3D capacitor, and common fabrication processes may be used in forming the voltage-limiting component and the capacitor. A JFET may be integrated in the same substrate so that an electrical signal output from the monolithic protection device is already pre-amplified.

Abstract: The invention concerns an implementable semiconductor device that includes an electrode configured to be in contact with biological tissue and at least one capacitor, and wherein the capacitor includes a capacitor electrode having a first surface facing and in contact with the electrode configured to be in contact with biological tissue.

Abstract: An electrical device that includes a substrate; a 3D capacitor including a capacitor dielectric region of a dielectric material, a capacitor electrode region of a conductive material, the capacitor dielectric region and the capacitor electrode region being arranged at least partially inside a cavity extending in the substrate from a top face of the substrate; and a surrounding through opening in the substrate and which surrounds a surrounded substrate region, the 3D capacitor being outside of the surrounded substrate region, the surrounding through opening extending from the top face to a bottom face of the substrate, wherein inside the surrounding through opening a surrounding dielectric region of the dielectric material and a surrounding conductive region of the conductive material are arranged.

Abstract: An integrated resistor-capacitor (RC) structure (400) is disclosed. The integrated RC structure includes a vertical capacitor (302,402,306) and a resistive element (308,310) disposed above the capacitor. The integrated RC structure uses a low ohmic substrate (302) to ensure a good ground return path for the capacitor. Further, a resistivity of the substrate is configured such that a top plate (306) of the capacitor provides a reference ground above a predefined frequency. The impedance of the resistive element (308,310) is matched, relative to the reference ground, to a predetermined resistance. As such, the resistance of the resistive element (308,310) can be controlled to provide an impedance controlled RC structure over a range of operating frequencies.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved method for lyophilising lactic bacteria of the coccus type, and freeze-dried bacterial compositions resulting from the method.

Abstract: An integrated resistor-capacitor (RC) structure (400) is disclosed. The integrated RC structure includes a vertical capacitor (302,402,306) and a resistive element (308,310) disposed above the capacitor. The integrated RC structure uses a low ohmic substrate (302) to ensure a good ground return path for the capacitor. Further, a resistivity of the substrate is configured such that a top plate (306) of the capacitor provides a reference ground above a predefined frequency. The impedance of the resistive element (308,310) is matched, relative to the reference ground, to a predetermined resistance. As such, the resistance of the resistive element (308,310) can be controlled to provide an impedance controlled RC structure over a range of operating frequencies.

Abstract: A method for reconstructing a data block of size N is proposed. The data block was encoded using an erasure code to generate a set of Ns systematic symbol vectors and a set of Np parity projection vectors from a mapping of the data block onto a two-dimensional convex support. The method comprises: for each input vector that contains at least an erasure, updating the value of each erased symbol to a predetermined value; mapping the Ns input vectors with updated values onto the two-dimensional convex support, generating a reconstruction projection vector from the mapping of the Ns input vectors with updated values onto the two-dimensional convex support using an encoding projection direction; and generating an updated parity projection vector from the reconstruction projection vector and the parity projection vector generated using said encoding projection direction.

Abstract: The invention concerns an implementable semiconductor device that includes an electrode configured to be in contact with biological tissue and at least one capacitor, and wherein the capacitor includes a capacitor electrode having a first surface facing and in contact with the electrode configured to be in contact with biological tissue.

Abstract: An apparatus for use with a robot may couple to or form part of an appendage, for example a wrist. The apparatus can include a base, a first platform, a second platform, a first set of linear actuators that moveably couple the first platform to the base and a second set of linear actuators that moveably couple the second platform to the first platform. The apparatus can take the form of dual prismatic platforms. A controller can provide control signals to operate the linear actuators to cause the first platform to translate and rotate with respect to the base and to cause the second platform to translate and rotate with respect to the first platform. Connectors can couple the base to an appendage and couple an end effector to the second platform.

Abstract: An end-effector may include a base, a plurality of underactuated fingers coupled to the base; and an adhesion gripper coupled to the base. An end-effector may include a base, an actuator, a first underactuated finger comprising a proximal link and a distal link, the proximal link including a distal end, a guide for a first tendon spaced a first distance away from the distal end of the proximal link and the distal link including a lever arm disposed on a proximal side to the distal pad and which extends in a volar direction from a first axis, and a node disposed on the lever arm sized and shaped to receive a first tendon. The end-effector may include a first revolute joint compliant in a first direction disposed between the base and the proximal link; and a second revolute joint compliant in the first direction disposed between the proximal link and the distal link.

Abstract: A method including measuring an initial precision measurement of at least one value of a number with a decimal point, measuring an infinite precision measurement of a value of the number with a decimal point, where a format of the number with a decimal point or of a primitive operation manipulating a number with a decimal point is first replaced with a predetermined optimal format. Additionally, manipulating, for at least one instruction, at least one number with a decimal point, including writing at least one variant performing the same function as the at least one instruction, and measuring, for each variant, at least one value of the at least one number with a decimal point obtained with the variant, and selecting the optimal variant as a function of the measured value and the initial precision and infinite precision values and replacing the at least one instruction with the selected variant.

Abstract: An apparatus for use with a robot may couple to or form part of an appendage, for example a wrist. The apparatus can include a base, a first platform, a second platform, a first set of linear actuators that moveably couple the first platform to the base and a second set of linear actuators that moveably couple the second platform to the first platform. The apparatus can take the form of dual prismatic platforms. A controller can provide control signals to operate the linear actuators to cause the first platform to translate and rotate with respect to the base and to cause the second platform to translate and rotate with respect to the first platform. Connectors can couple the base to an appendage and couple an end effector to the second platform.

Abstract: A method for reconstructing a data block of size N is proposed. The data block was encoded using an erasure code to generate a set of Ns systematic symbol vectors and a set of Np parity projection vectors from a mapping of the data block onto a two-dimensional convex support. The method comprises: for each input vector that contains at least an erasure, updating the value of each erased symbol to a predetermined value; mapping the Ns input vectors with updated values onto the two-dimensional convex support, generating a reconstruction projection vector from the mapping of the Ns input vectors with updated values onto the two-dimensional convex support using an encoding projection direction; and generating an updated parity projection vector from the reconstruction projection vector and the parity projection vector generated using said encoding projection direction.

Abstract: A method is provided for adjusting the accuracy provided by a source computer program manipulating at least one number with a decimal point, comprising the following steps: initial accuracy measurement of at least one value of at least one number with a decimal point; measurement, said infinite accuracy measurement, of at least one value of said number with a decimal point in said source program; for at least one instruction manipulating, in said source program, at least one number with a decimal point, a step, said optimization step, identifying, for said instruction, a variant providing a better accuracy, and modification of said source program by replacing said instruction with said selected variant. It also relates to a computer program and a system implementing such a method.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for generating digital images encoded into a format readable by medical imaging apparatus defines, in a tridimensional continuous space, a tridimensional scene including a tridimensional continuous shape and an encompassing medium, the tridimensional shape being constituted from basic primary shapes by rotation, translation, overlapping or gathering of one or several basic primary shapes; discretizes the tridimensional scene obtained at the previous step into volume elements (voxels) using a weighting mechanism; segments the discretized tridimensional scene into voxels by creating bidimensional cross-sections of the tridimensional scene; and encodes the information describing the obtained bidimensional cross-sections of the tridimensional scene into a format readable by medical imaging apparatus.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is a computer-implemented method for generating digital images encoded into a format readable by medical imaging apparatus, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: defining, in a tridimensional continuous space, a tridimensional scene comprising a tridimensional continuous shape and an encompassing medium, said tridimensional shape being constituted from basic primary shapes by rotation, translation, overlapping or gathering of one or several basic primary shapes; discretizing the tridimensional scene obtained at the previous step into volume elements (voxels) using a weighting mechanism; segmenting the discretized tridimensional scene into voxels by creating bidimensional cross-sections of the tridimensional scene; and encoding the information describing the obtained bidimensional cross-sections of the tridimensional scene into a format readable by medical imaging apparatus.