Your gateway to reconfigurable hybrid computing

This compact system serves as the primary entry point for professional R&D and educational institutions. While its scale is tailored for focused tasks, it offers an unparalleled introduction to the synergy of analog and digital logic. Its excellence in low-latency, real-time applications makes it a powerful asset for electronic laboratories, specifically for test facilities and control systems where a select few observables must be precisely tracked or predicted.

# Set alias for cluster set-alias * carrier set-alias carrier/0 cluster set-alias cluster/M0/0 osc_x # Configure routing on cluster route -- cluster 8 0 1.0 9

Truly multi purpose

The Lucidac brings analog/hybrid computing directly to your workspace. Designed to be small yet powerful, it requires no complex setup and offers a seamless entry into the technology. Unlike rigid classic systems, the Lucidac is easily expandable and highly flexible, adapting to countless application cases through its intuitive open-source software. Whether for education, engineering, or rapid prototyping, its ability to be reconfigured instantly via software makes it the most agile tool in its class.

Applications

Robotics

For the development of control methods based on an analog computer for the highly dynamic control of robots using exteroceptive sensors an application kit including software will be provided. Because the sensors and the robot controller can be connected directly to the lucidac, the commissioning time is reduced and the dynamic performance is significantly increased. As a result, significant obstacles to the spread of robot-guided disassembly and assembly applications can be removed.

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping plays a crucial role in modern engineering by allowing for the swift validation of complex systems. Due to its reconfigurable architecture and seamless analog I/O connectivity, Lucidac enables researchers to iterate designs instantly without the need for custom hardware fabrication. This flexibility streamlines the transition from initial concept to functional model, significantly reducing development cycles in high-tech environments
Picture: Leon Jakobs for DLR QCI 2025 · All rights reserved

Real Time Signal Processing

Real-time signal processing plays a crucial role in high-performance applications such as telecommunications, medical imaging, and industrial automation. By processing data streams with minimal latency, these systems can efficiently filter, transform, and analyze input from diverse sensors and networks. This enables instantaneous decision-making and ensures the reliability of complex, time-critical environments.

Picture: Leon Jakobs for DLR QCI 2025 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

What’s your case?

Programming your lucidac

Programming a LUCIDAC is straightforward due to its intuitive software interface and comprehensive support for multiple programming languages, including Python, C++, and Julia. The device features a sophisticated auto-calibration system and a user-friendly browser-based GUI that simplifies the configuration and management of complex computations. Additionally, LUCIDAC's software library provides robust examples and detailed documentation, enabling users to quickly implement and run custom analog computing programs with minimal effort. This ease of use makes LUCIDAC accessible to both novice and experienced programmers, facilitating rapid development and deployment of analog computing solutions.

Specs

Analog

Digital

Form factor

355 x 100 x 158 mm³ (width x height x depth, including case)

External connectors

RJ45 for 10/100 BASE-TX Ethernet (100Mbit/sec)
16 MCX female coaxial connectors for Analog I/O
2x25 IDC header with latches for Digital I/O for use with standard flat cables.
8x LEDs for system status (four user controllable)
3x MCX trigger output (for IC/OP/Overload detection)
USB-C for backup serial console and flashing (USB2)

Precision

Up to 12bit resolution.
DC accuracy 0.1%
AC bandwidth > 1Mhz (cutoff frequency).

Connectivity

Analog computing elements can be coupled all-to-all (max 32 non-zero items in 16x16 connection matrix).

Computing Levels

The logical computing domain is [-1,+1] and internally encoded in either voltages or currents. The external I/O is voltage coupled in [-2,+2] V.

Hybrid Controller

Each LUCIDAC is equipped with a Teensy 4.1 which is a 600Mhz Cortex-M7 with 7MB flash, 1MB RAM, 480mbit/sec USB2 and 10/100mbit Ethernet. The modular hybrid controller board furthermore features external high quality 16bit ADCs.

Firmware

The firmware runinng on the integrated microcontroller is supposed to be open sourced at Github. It is simple yet modern Arduino code using Platformio and counts roughly 20.000 LOC.

Software

There is client software available in various programming languages, such as Python, C/C++, Go, TypeScript, Julia, Rust and others. The communication over USBSerial or Network is a simple plaintext JSON protocol.

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

The GUI is served by the embedded webserver within LUCIDAC and allows to use the device without any software on any device in the same network.