ABSTRACT
Thermodynamics shows that every particle is incessantly moving, and no atom or molecule is ever at rest. At low temperature, the movement is slow, and at high temperature, it becomes fast. Shielded thermocouples are reliable and robust, but slow, since it takes some seconds for a temperature signal to travel through the metal housing. Low-doped semiconductors have a negative temperature coefficient of electrical resistance (TCR), since at elevated temperature, more electrons move from the valence band to the conduction band. Medium- and high-doped semiconductors change to positive TCR; at very high doping, they behave like a metal and show a small positive TCR. Neighboring nodes increase their activity, and new communication paths are established. When decisions are made locally by simple algorithms, the whole system becomes much more robust. And the system becomes more resilient, i.e., it gains the ability to recover when it is injured.
