NSERC COHESA: Computing Hardware for Emerging Intelligent Sensory Applications

NSERC COHESA是“新兴智能传感应用(ISA)的计算硬件”的研究网络。NSERC COHESA的动机是需要和机会推进ISA中的最先进技术，这些ISA正在帮助计算设备以我们通常仅与人类和高智能联系在一起的方式与物理世界“思考”、“看”、“听”、“读”、“写”和“互动”。ISA承诺与人类的能力相媲美，并增强我们发现、学习和受益于信息的设施；其应用领域是无限的，从科学、医学、卫生和商业，到民用规划、安全等。但新兴的ISA领域受到现有计算设备的限制。这些都是为一般目的而设计的，因此效率极低，远远不能支持国际审计机构目前的需要。此外，潜在的技术趋势是，现有的设备设计将继续无法满足ISA的需求，从而阻碍进一步的进步。NSERC COHESA网络将汇集一个由专家和加拿大行业组成的跨学科团队，通过考虑从应用软件到硅电路的全部技术堆栈来推动ISA的发展。NSERC COHESA的目标应用是一个智能协同驾驶(I-CP)平台，它将展示特定ISA的整体好处。I-CP使用安装在汽车上的传统或计算摄像头的实时视频馈送，并通过自然语言与司机互动，提供有价值的信息，就像坐在乘客一侧的副驾驶一样。通过从整体上看，NSERC COHESA将寻求在核心算法、数字设备构建块和系统软件方面取得根本性进展，这些进步将在未来5-15年内保持ISA的进步。NSERC COHESA的努力将建立在加拿大在计算机技术方面的现有优势的基础上，培养能够领导ISA工作人员的高素质、跨学科的人员，并确保加拿大在ISA革命中的领先地位。

NSERC COHESA is the Research Network for 'Computing Hardware for Emerging Intelligent Sensing Applications (ISAs)'. NSERC COHESA is motivated by the need and the opportunity to advance the state-of-the-art in ISAs, which are helping computing devices to "think", "see", "hear", "read", "write" and "interact" with the physical world in ways that we typically associate only with humans and high intelligence. ISAs promise to rival human abilities and enhance our facility to discover, learn and benefit from information; the application areas are limitless, ranging from science, medicine, health, and commerce, to civil planning, security, and so on. But the emerging ISA field is hampered by the limitations of existing computing devices. These have been designed to be general purpose and so are grossly inefficient and far from capable of supporting the current needs of ISAs. Moreover, the underlying technology trends are such that existing device designs will continue to fall short of ISA needs, stalling further advances. The NSERC COHESA Network will bring together an interdisciplinary team of experts and Canadian-based industries to advance ISAs by taking the full technology stack into consideration: from application software down to silicon circuits. NSERC COHESA's target application is an Intelligent Co-Pilot (i-CP) platform that will demonstrate the overall benefits of a specific ISA. The i-CP uses a live video feed from a conventional or a computational camera mounted on an automobile and interacts with the driver through natural language, providing valuable information the same way a co-pilot sitting on the passenger side would. By taking a holistic view, NSERC COHESA will seek to produce fundamental advances in core algorithms, digital device building blocks, and systems software that will sustain ISA advances for the next 5-15 years. NSERC COHESA's efforts will build on Canada's existing strengths in computer technology to train highly qualified, interdisciplinary personnel who can lead the ISA workforce and ensure Canada's leading position in the ISA revolution.