Web Desk(June 25, 2018): The University of Michigan has created the “world’s smallest computer.”
Though whether it should really be considered a computer is up for debate.
Traditionally, when you unplug a desktop or laptop machine, its programming and data are still accessible once you turn the power back on. But these new microdevices—from IBM and Michigan—lose all prior input as soon as they lose energy.
“We are not sure if they should be called computers or not,” David Blaauw, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, admitted. “It’s more of a matter of opinion whether they have the minimum functionality required.”
Blaauw led the development of this new system—a follow up to 2015’s Michigan Micro Mote (M3)—alongside Dennis Sylvester and Jamie Phillips, als professors of ECE.
At first glance, the wee device looks like an impressively tiny data processor: It boasts RAM, photovoltaics, processors, wireless transmitters, and receivers—all in a package smaller than a grain of rice.
A package one-tenth the size of IBM’s microscopic machine, introduced in March. The computer, according to Mashable, costs less than 10 cents to manufacture, and packs “several hundred thousand transistors,” allowing it to “monitor, analyze, communicate, and even act on data.”
Related News:
