The smallest computer in the world measures less than a grain of salt


The smallest computer in the world measures less than a grain of salt




It works with solar energy and has medical purposes



If in the market of smartphones, the race is about to make the terminal bigger. In the computer segment the struggle is diametrically opposed. A few months ago, IBM introduced the smallest computer in the world, its dimensions were just 1mm long by 1mm wide.

Four months later, researchers from the University of Michigan (United States) have managed to reduce its size and even make it look like the giant IBM device. The size of just reaches the millimeter in length, stays at 0.3 mm.

Its size, comparable to that of a grain of rice, allows you to make a list of small tasks. It can do calculations, some operations, it has a processor and it also has RAM memory. "We are not sure if they should be called a computer or not. It's more a matter of opinion if they have the minimum functionality required, "says David Blaauw, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan.

Despite its tiny size, it has a great but: when it is turned off, all the stored information is lost. Also as a novelty, engineers at the University of Michigan have managed to operate this device with photovoltaic energy. "We had to invent new ways of approaching the circuit design that would be equally low power, but could also tolerate light," says Blaauw.

Designed as a precision temperature sensor, the new device converts temperatures into time intervals, defined with electronic pulses. The intervals are measured in chip against a constant time interval sent by the base station and then converted into a temperature. As a result, the computer can report temperatures in tiny regions, such as a group of cells, with an error of about 0.1ºC.

The system is very flexible and could be reinvented for a variety of purposes, but the team chose precision temperature measurements due to a need in oncology.

Some studies suggest that tumors run hotter than normal tissue, but the data is not strong enough to trust the subject. Temperature can also help evaluate cancer treatments


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