Infrared positioning and communication unit for a nanorobotics platform operating in a cold Helium atmosphere

The development of a new nanorobotics platform based on a fleet of scientific instruments configured as wireless miniature robots capable of fast operations at the nanoscale in a cooling chamber has been proposed. To cope with the excessive heat of the robots, the heat dissipation is enhanced by filling the chamber with cooled Helium. While the high-powered robots can be maintained at relatively low operating temperatures, the infrared positioning and communication systems needed to coordinate the robots, would without protection, be permanently damaged when exposed to such low ambient temperature levels. This paper describes the design of an infrared and communication unit capable to operate under these excessive conditions while fulfilling the communication and coordination requirements of such a nanorobotics platform.