Hardware Cost Research Articles

Review on Academia Hub: Android Application for Student Attendance System

Until today, most lecturers in universities are found still using the conventional methods of taking students’ attendance either by calling out the student names or by passing around an attendance sheet for students to sign confirming their presence. In addition to the time-consuming issue, such method is also at higher risk of having students cheating about their attendance, especially in a large classroom. Therefore, a method of taking attendance by employing an application running on the Android platform is proposed in this paper. This application, once installed can be used to download the students list from a designated web server. Based on the downloaded list of students, the device will then act like a scanner to scan each of the student cards one by one to confirm and verify the student’s presence. The device’s camera will be used as a sensor that will read the barcode printed on the students’ cards. The updated attendance list is then uploaded to an online database and can also be saved as a file to be transferred to a PC later on. This system will help to eliminate the current problems, while also promoting a paperless environment at the same time. Since this application can be deployed on lecturers’ own existing Android devices, no additional hardware cost is required

Features of Structural Hardware Transformation of Information in Cryptosystems

The article considers types, functions and some features of cryptosystems, as well as circuit design options for expanding their functionality. Options for generating keys and ciphers used in cryptosystems with a typical structural organization, and technologies for creating encryption chains are presented. An encryption scheme is described, in the recurrent formula of the algorithm of which the previous blocks of both encryption and plaintext are used. This scheme reliably protects against any unauthorized modification of the encrypted text. Structural diagrams of the organization of symmetric and asymmetric cryptosystems are given. A variant of implementing a decoding procedure in a threshold MIMA cryptomodule for sharing a secret with a masking transformation is proposed, in which the necessary time and hardware costs for performing the procedure of reconstructing the original secret are minimized. The presented material can be the part of the original sections of a necessary and sufficiently provided in mathematical terms textbook on the basics and modern problems of cryptography.

Features of Structural Hardware Transformation of Information in Cryptosystems

The article considers types, functions and some features of cryptosystems, as well as circuit design options for expanding their functionality. Options for generating keys and ciphers used in cryptosystems with a typical structural organization, and technologies for creating encryption chains are presented. An encryption scheme is described, in the recurrent formula of the algorithm of which the previous blocks of both encryption and plaintext are used. This scheme reliably protects against any unauthorized modification of the encrypted text. Structural diagrams of the organization of symmetric and asymmetric cryptosystems are given. A variant of implementing a decoding procedure in a threshold MIMA cryptomodule for sharing a secret with a masking transformation is proposed, in which the necessary time and hardware costs for performing the procedure of reconstructing the original secret are minimized. The presented material can be the part of the original sections of a necessary and sufficiently provided in mathematical terms textbook on the basics and modern problems of cryptography.

Implementation Challenges of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Participating in Public Projects in Qatar

This research investigates the implementation challenges of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) participating in public projects, with a focus on the construction industry in Qatar. Through a combination of literature review, surveys, and interviews, the study identifies key obstacles such as interoperability issues, financial constraints, organisational and cultural resistance, and the lack of comprehensive training programs. The literature highlights the fragmented nature of construction projects and the potential of BIM to improve efficiency through enhanced data handling and collaboration. However, SMEs often struggle with the high initial costs of software and hardware, as well as the need for extensive training to bridge the skill gap. Interviews with industry professionals reveal that while mandatory BIM integration in public projects drives adoption, it also exacerbates these challenges for SMEs, which may lack the necessary resources and expertise. Survey findings indicate that contractors frequently encounter issues with understanding and implementing BIM and meeting the government body standards, suggesting a need for better training and support. The study also emphasises the importance of strategic incremental adoption, where SMEs gradually integrate BIM into their processes, starting with low-level implementation in privately funded projects. The research concludes that while BIM offers significant benefits for the construction industry, its successful adoption requires targeted support for SMEs. This includes financial incentives, improved interoperability standards, comprehensive training programs, and strategic change management approaches. Addressing these challenges will enable SMEs to fully leverage BIM's potential, enhancing project efficiency and competitiveness in the construction sector.

Helmet Wearing Detection Algorithm Based on YOLOv5s-FCW

An enhanced algorithm, YOLOv5s-FCW, is put forward in this study to tackle the problems that exist in the current helmet detection (HD) methods. These issues include having too many parameters, a complex network, and large computation requirements, making it unsuitable for deployment on embedded and other devices. Additionally, existing algorithms struggle with detecting small targets and do not achieve high enough recognition accuracy. Firstly, the YOLOv5s backbone network is replaced by FasterNet for feature extraction (FE), which reduces the number of parameters and computational effort in the network. Secondly, a convolutional block attention module (CBAM) is added to the YOLOv5 model to improve the detection model’s ability to detect small objects such as helmets by increasing its attention to them. Finally, to enhance model convergence, the WIoU_Loss loss function is adopted instead of the GIoU_Loss loss function. As reported by the experimental results, the YOLOv5s-FCW algorithm proposed in this study has improved accuracy by 4.6% compared to the baseline algorithm. The proposed approach not only enhances detection concerning small and obscured targets but also reduces computation for the YOLOv5s model by 20%, thereby decreasing the hardware cost while maintaining a higher average accuracy regarding detection.

Compact Physical Implementation of Spiking Neural Network Using Ambipolar WSe2 n-Type/p-Type Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistor.

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) are attracting increasing interests for their ability to emulate biological processes, offering energy-efficient computation and event-driven processing. Currently, no devices are known to combine both neuronal and synaptic functions. This study presents an experimental demonstration of an ambipolar WSe2 n-type/p-type ferroelectric field-effect transistor (n/p-FeFET) integrated with ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) to achieve both volatile and nonvolatile properties in a single device. The nonvolatile n-FeFET, driven by the stable ferroelectric properties of HZO, exhibits highly linear synaptic behavior. In contrast, the volatile p-FeFET, influenced by electron self-compensation in the ambipolar WSe2, enables self-resetting leaky-integrate-and-fire neurons. Integrating neuronal and synaptic functions in the same device allows for compact neuromorphic computing applications. Additionally, simulations of SNNs using experimentally calibrated synaptic and neuronal models achieved a 93.8% accuracy in MNIST digit recognition. This innovative approach advances the development of SNNs with high biomimetic fidelity and reduced hardware costs.

Leaf Moisture Content Detection Method Based on UHF RFID and Hyperdimensional Computing

Leaf moisture content (LMC) directly affects the life activities of plants and becomes a key factor to evaluate the growth status of plants. To explore a low-cost, real-time, rapid, and accurate method for LMC detection, this paper employs Ultra-High-Frequency Radio-Frequency Identification (UHF RFID) sensor technology. By reading the tag information attached to the back of leaves, the parameters of the RSSI, phase, and reading distance of the tags are collected. In this paper, we propose an enhanced Multi-Feature Fusion algorithm based on Hyperdimensional Computing (HDC) called MFFHDC. In our proposed method, the real-valued features are encoded into hypervectors and then combined with Multi-Linear Discriminant Analysis (MLDA) for the feature fusion of different features. Finally, a retraining method based on Cosine Annealing with Warm Restarts (CAWR) is proposed to improve the model and further enhance its accuracy. Tests conducted in the experimental forest show that the proposed mechanism can effectively predict the LMC. The model’s Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Coefficient of Determination (R2) reached 0.0195, 0.0255, and 0.9131, respectively. Additionally, comparisons with other methods demonstrate that the presented system performs excellently in most aspects. As a lightweight model, this study shows great practical application value, particularly for the limited data volume and low hardware costs.

Area–Time-Efficient High-Radix Modular Inversion Algorithm and Hardware Implementation for ECC over Prime Fields

Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is widely used for secure communications, because it can provide the same level of security as RSA with a much smaller key size. In constrained environments, it is important to consider efficiency, in terms of execution time and hardware costs. Modular inversion is a key time-consuming calculation used in ECC. Its hardware implementation requires extensive hardware resources, such as lookup tables and registers. We investigate the state-of-the-art modular inversion algorithms, and evaluate the performance and cost of the algorithms and their hardware implementations. We then propose a high-radix modular inversion algorithm aimed at reducing the execution time and hardware costs. We present a detailed radix-8 hardware implementation based on 256-bit primes in Verilog HDL and compare its cost performance to other implementations. Our implementation on the Altera Cyclone V FPGA chip used 1227 ALMs (adaptive logic modules) and 1037 registers. The modular inversion calculation took 3.67 ms. The AT (area–time) factor was 8.30, outperforming the other implementations. We also present an implementation of ECC using the proposed radix-8 modular inversion algorithm. The implementation results also showed that our modular inversion algorithm was more efficient in area–time than the other algorithms.

ADL-YOLOv8: A Field Crop Weed Detection Model Based on Improved YOLOv8

This study presents an improved weed detection model, ADL-YOLOv8, designed to enhance detection accuracy for small targets while achieving model lightweighting. It addresses the challenge of attaining both high accuracy and low memory usage in current intelligent weeding equipment. By overcoming this issue, the research not only reduces the hardware costs of automated impurity removal equipment but also enhances software recognition accuracy, contributing to reduced pesticide use and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. The ADL-YOLOv8 model incorporates a lighter AKConv network for better processing of specific features, an ultra-lightweight DySample upsampling module to improve accuracy and efficiency, and the LSKA-Attention mechanism for enhanced detection, particularly of small targets. On the same dataset, ADL-YOLOv8 demonstrated a 2.2% increase in precision, a 2.45% rise in recall, a 3.07% boost in mAP@0.5, and a 1.9% enhancement in mAP@0.95. The model’s size was cut by 15.77%, and its computational complexity was reduced by 10.98%. These findings indicate that ADL-YOLOv8 not only exceeds the original YOLOv8n model but also surpasses the newer YOLOv9t and YOLOv10n in overall performance. The improved algorithm model makes the hardware cost required for embedded terminals lower.

Simultaneous multinuclear MRI via a single RF channel

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) stands as one of the most powerful noninvasive and non-destructive imaging techniques, finding extensive utility in medical and industrial applications. Its ability to acquire signals from multiple nuclei grants it additional levels of strength by providing multi-dimensional datasets of the object under test. However, this typically requires dedicated hardware to detect each nucleus. In this paper, we report on the use of a digital lock-in amplifier to perform simultaneous multi-nuclear MRI with a single physical radio frequency (RF) channel. While we showcase this concept by demonstrating the results of fully parallel (TX and RX) 1H and 19F MRI images, we emphasize that it is not limited to two nuclei but can accommodate more nuclei with no extra cost on the hardware or scan time. The scalability is virtually unlimited, constrained only by the processing speed of the digital unit. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the quality of parallel imaging with SNR of 54 is comparable to the commercial single channel with SNR of 43. Thus with no reduction in imaging quality, the proposed concept promises a tremendous reduction in scan time, system complexity, and hardware costs.

Anti-machine-learning-attack strong PUF design based on multi-path delay selection strategy

Physical unclonable functions (PUF) have significant potential for application in information security. However, strong PUFs are vulnerable to machine learning (ML) modeling attacks, which severely limit their application in device authentication. Despite a variety of resistance techniques, strong PUFs suffer from hardware cost and stability deficiencies. This study proposes an anti-machine-learning-attack strong PUF based on a multi-path delay selection strategy through research on the entropy source of a strong PUF and the delay signal selection mechanism. First, we constructed a deviation source circuit based on multiplexers to increase the diversity of the delay signal transmission paths. Second, we constructed a delay selection circuit based on the logic gates. This circuit dynamically selects the delay signals with the same transmission path in the deviation source using AND and OR gates. Subsequently, the deviation source and delay selection circuits were utilized to construct the delay module, and the interconnection module was inserted between the delay modules to achieve alternating appearances of different types of logic gates along the delay path. Finally, RS flip-flops were employed to make decisions on the bias signals with the same delay path, and the final response was output through an XOR operation. The proposed PUF was implemented on a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA, and the prediction accuracy of the four typical ML models was below 59 % (with 500,000 challenge-response pairs as the training set). Moreover, the proposed PUF structure is scalable and exhibits better performance in terms of hardware cost and stability than existing classic structures.

Unifying Static and Dynamic Intermediate Languages for Accelerator Generators

Compilers for accelerator design languages (ADLs) translate high-level languages into application-specific hardware. ADL compilers rely on a hardware control interface to compose hardware units. There are two choices: static control, which relies on cycle-level timing; or dynamic control, which uses explicit signalling to avoid depending on timing details. Static control is efficient but brittle; dynamic control incurs hardware costs to support compositional reasoning. Piezo is an ADL compiler that unifies static and dynamic control in a single intermediate language (IL). Its key insight is that the IL’s static fragment is a refinement of its dynamic fragment: static code admits a subset of the run-time behaviors of the dynamic equivalent. Piezo can optimize code by combining facts from static and dynamic submodules, and it opportunistically converts code from dynamic to static control styles. We implement Piezo as an extension to an existing dynamic ADL compiler, Calyx. We use Piezo to implement a frontend for an existing ADL, a systolic array generator, and a packet-scheduling hardware generator to demonstrate its optimizations and the static–dynamic interactions it enables.

Generation of NIR Spectral Band from RGB Image with Wavelet Domain Spectral Extrapolation Generative Adversarial Network

Near-infrared (NIR) imaging exhibits outstanding penetration capabilities and robust anti-interference characteristics. However, acquiring high-resolution and high-fidelity NIR images is difficult due to the limited mobility, high cost, and low resolution of NIR imaging hardware. In this paper, we proposed a new end-to-end Wavelet Domain Spectral Extrapolation Generative Adversarial Network (WSEGAN) to generate highly realistic NIR images from RGB images. Since RGB and NIR images have different types of noise and artifacts, which affects the quality of NIR images generation. We design a generator with a discrete wavelet transform and an attention mechanism to capture multi-resolution contextual information, and a multi-scale discriminator to capture detailed and global features. Then, the proposed approach is evaluated by three different datasets to achieve optimal results regarding both visual effects and quantitative evaluation. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is utilized to validate the effectiveness of the generated NIR images. The result demonstrates a strong correlation between the generated images and the actual vegetation distribution. More importantly, the proposed network is testified to generate NIR images to be fused with the RGB image source for agricultural target detection tasks. In dark conditions, results show that using multi-modal data instead of RGB images improves mAP0.5 detection accuracy by 4% on the CAPSICUM dataset and by 8% on the KIWI dataset across five object detection methods. This follows the physical significance of the NIR imaging and demonstrates the potential use of the NIR images generated by the proposed method.

Multispectral and hyperspectral image fusion via multi-model deep prior regularization

ABSTRACT Due to the difficulty of collecting a sufficient number of photons within a narrow spectral window, hyperspectral images often have low spatial resolution. In order to solve this problem without increasing hardware costs, a large number of image super-resolution algorithms have been proposed and have shown promising results. However, the performance of these algorithms is inconsistent in different datasets. To fix this situation, we proposed a multi-model deep prior regularization method for multispectral and hyperspectral image fusion. This method leverages mechanistic knowledge to combine various super-resolution results into a single algorithm, significantly improving the quality of the hyperspectral images. Specifically, we first proposed a variable residual mixed attention network. This network takes a low-resolution hyperspectral image and a high-resolution multispectral image as inputs, producing deep prior results from three different modes by adjusting spatial and channel attention. Then, we reconstructed the prior results along the spectral dimension and used them as regularization terms in our mechanistic model. We transformed the problem of finding the optimal solution of the model into solving the Sylvester equation and applied a fast solver for this equation to create the high-resolution hyperspectral images. Additionally, we used a genetic algorithm to determine the best hyperparameters for different deep prior results. Through validation on three datasets, we have demonstrated that our method performs better than existing methods in both quantitative and qualitative comparisons.

Temperature-insensitive and cost-effective distributed NP-Doped optical fiber sensors

This paper presents the development of a cost-effective distributed optical fiber sensor for temperature-insensitive assessment of mechanical disturbances along an optical fiber cable. The proposed sensor system uses a nanoparticle (NP)-doped optical fiber with enhanced Rayleigh backscattering to provide higher sensitivity and spatial resolution using the transmission and reflection analysis (TRA) approach, where the transmitted and backscattered optical powers are analyzed as a function of the mechanical disturbance. In addition, Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are used as wavelength filters to provide the wavelength division multiplexing of the proposed device, which enable the use of 3 different NP-doped optical fiber sections for simultaneous detection of multiple curvature conditions in a cost-effective distributed sensing approach. The sensor characterization tests are performed by means of applying curvature angles from 360° to 1080° at different positions along NP-doped fibers (namely 25 mm, 100 mm and 175 mm) at 4 different temperatures of 25 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C and 50 °C. The results indicate the feasibility of the proposed approach, where the temperature variations lead only to a wavelength shift of the Bragg wavelength, whereas the mechanical disturbances (the curvatures) lead only to variations in the transmitted and reflected optical powers. Thus, by analyzing the transmitted and reflected optical powers in conjunction with the Bragg wavelength shift, it is possible to estimate both the mechanical disturbance amplitude (i.e., curvature angle) and the position along each NP-doped optical fiber section. Results indicate a relative error of around 3 % and 4 % for the mechanical disturbance location and absolute value, respectively. Moreover, the temperature cross-sensitivity in this case is below 2 % considering both amplitude and location of the mechanical disturbance. The proposed approach can be applied in structural health monitoring of different types of structures by integrating the fibers in the structures themselves with the possibility of measuring the strain distribution along the fibers (instead of in different points along the fiber) using a lower cost hardware when compared with similar distributed optical fiber sensing approaches.

Improved yolov5 algorithm combined with depth camera and embedded system for blind indoor visual assistance

To assist the visually impaired in their daily lives and solve the problems associated with poor portability, high hardware costs, and environmental susceptibility of indoor object-finding aids for the visually impaired, an improved YOLOv5 algorithm was proposed. It was combined with a RealSense D435i depth camera and a voice system to realise an indoor object-finding device for the visually impaired using a Raspberry Pi 4 B device as its core. The algorithm uses GhostNet instead of the YOLOv5s backbone network to reduce the number of parameters and computation of the model, incorporates an attention mechanism (coordinate attention), and replaces the YOLOv5 neck network with a bidirectional feature pyramid network to enhance feature extraction. Compared to the YOLOv5 model, the model size was reduced by 42.4%, number of parameters was reduced by 47.9%, and recall rate increased by 1.2% with the same precision. This study applied the improved YOLOv5 algorithm to an indoor object-finding device for the visually impaired, where the searched object was input by voice, and the RealSense D435i was used to acquire RGB and depth images to realize the detection and ranging of the object, broadcast the specific distance of the target object by voice, and assist the visually impaired in finding the object.

Phase Error Correction in Sparse Linear MIMO Radar Based on the Equivalent Phase Center Principle

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology is widely used in the field of radar imaging. Array sparse optimization reduces the hardware cost of MIMO radar, while virtual aperture and the equivalent phase center (EPC) principle simplify the radar signal model and reduce the computation and complexity of imaging algorithms. However, the application of sparse array structure and the EPC principle produces a non-negligible phase error, which affects the imaging quality. This paper simplifies the MIMO radar signal model based on the phase center approximation, analyzes the phase error generated by this method, and proposes an improved phase error correction method to solve the problem that the target cannot be well-focused at non-reference distance during imaging. In addition, this paper designs a sparse linear MIMO array with a periodic structure, which reduces the number of transmitting and receiving units, system complexity, and hardware costs. The proposed phase correction method was combined with the wavenumber domain algorithm to simulate and experiment on the designed antenna array, and good experimental results were obtained to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Full-field amplitude speckle decorrelation angiography.

We propose a new simple and cost-effective optical imaging technique, full-field amplitude speckle decorrelation angiography (FASDA), capable of visualizing skin microvasculature with high resolution, and sensitive to small, superficial vessels with slow blood flow and larger, deeper vessels with faster blood flow. FASDA makes use of a laser source with limited temporal coherence, can be implemented with cameras with conventional frame rates, and does not require raster scanning. The proposed imaging technique is based on the simultaneous evaluation of two metrics: the blood flow index, a contrast-based metric used in laser speckle contrast imaging, and the adaptive speckle decorrelation index (ASDI), a new metric that we defined based on the second-order autocorrelation function that considers the limited speckle modulation that occurs in partially-coherent imaging. We demonstrate excellent delineation of small, superficial vessels with slow blood flow in skin nevi using ASDI and larger, deeper vessels with faster blood flow using BFI, providing a powerful new tool for the imaging of microvasculature with significantly lower hardware complexity and cost than other optical imaging techniques.

Improved JPEG Lossless Compression for Compression of Intermediate Layers in Neural Networks Based on Compute-In-Memory

With the development of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), there is a growing requirement for their deployment on edge devices. At the same time, Compute-In-Memory (CIM) technology has gained significant attention in edge CNN applications due to its ability to minimize data movement between memory and computing units. However, the deployment of complex deep neural network models on edge devices with restricted hardware resources continues to be challenged by a lack of adequate storage for intermediate layer data. In this article, we propose an optimized JPEG Lossless Compression (JPEG-LS) algorithm that implements serial context parameter updating alongside parallel encoding. This method is designed for the global prediction and efficient compression of intermediate data layers in neural networks employing CIM techniques. The results indicate average compression ratios of 6.44× for VGG16, 3.62× for ResNet34, 1.67× for MobileNetV2, and 2.31× for InceptionV3. Moreover, the implementation achieves a data throughput of 32 bits per cycle at 600 MHz on the TSMC 28 nm, with a hardware cost of 122 K Gate Count.

Adaptive Hybrid Deep Learning Based Effective Channel Estimation in MIMO-Noma for Millimeter-Wave Systems with an Enhanced Optimization Algorithm

The channel estimation is crucial in the “millimeter Wave (mmWave) Massive Multiple-Input MultipleOutput (MIMO) and Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA)” devices. Hybrid beamforming techniques are employed nowadays to minimize the complexity and equipment price. However, the absence of digital beam forming in mmWave affects the dynamic range and accuracy of the channel estimation. Previous research has concentrated mainly on predicting narrow-band mmWave channels using deep learning networks, as the wideband channels of mmWave create a considerable range and noise issue. Accurate channel estimation in the MIMO system is challenging because of the increased number of antennas and radio frequency (RF) chains. MIMO system communications using mmWave are frequently chosen because of their massive spectrum resources. Therefore, it is essential to tackle the obstacles obtained in the standard channel estimation framework by developing a MIMO-NOMA network with the help of deep learning methods Hence, this paper proposes an efficient hybrid deep learning model for channel estimation in MIMO-NOMA for mmWave systems. At first, the channel estimation is carried out using the Adaptive Hybrid Deep Learning (AHDL) model, where it combines both Autoencoder and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). Here, the parameters are optimized using the Improved Red-tailed Hawk Algorithm (IRHA). Later the hardware cost and system complexity are reduced by performing the hybrid beam-forming process. Numerical results show that the proposed channel estimation and pilot estimation process outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches.