The International Computer Corporation, or IBM, and the University of Michigan fought an ongoing competition over who could build the world’s smallest computer. As of June 2018, Michigan has won. That month, the university unveiled a new mini-computer 10 times smaller than IBM’s. It is about 0.3mm long on each side, which is much smaller than a grain of rice.
Despite its small size, the computer contains RAM, a processor, and wireless transceivers. They receive and transmit data using visible light rather than an antenna as is traditionally used, because they are too small to fit in antennas. The computer also has a base station that, along with an LED transmitting light, gives the device power. Light is converted into electricity via a process called photovoltaics.
According to the university, to achieve this, Michigan engineers had to create a new type of circuit that is low-power but can withstand light. The light from the base station and the LED light create circuit currents. They also had to make sure the device’s readings were very accurate despite the low power.
Are these devices a computer?
After the release of the IBM minicomputer, a few months ago in Michigan, there was some debate about whether these machines could even be called computers. The 3mm Michigan device has a processor, making it more like a “real” computer. However, it does not retain programming and data once it is unplugged.
Microcomputer developers in Michigan had to use diodes (semiconductors) instead of capacitors to direct currents in the device, which reduced the effects of light on the device but risked increasing the electrical noise it made. However, this does not affect its identification as a computer.
How can this small computer be used?
The Michigan microcomputer is, essentially, a temperature sensor. Converts temperatures into time intervals which are accurate to within 0.1°C. Gary Locker, professor of radiology and biomedical engineering, collaborated on the project and hopes it will be used in the field of oncology, to measure the temperature of tumors. Tumors are thought to be hotter in temperature than other types of cells, but this has not yet been conclusively proven. If the device can demonstrate this, it can also be used to detect tumor growth early.
However, this is not its only potential use. The previous smallest computer was used in Michigan to study the tiny snails of the South Pacific. By attaching the devices to the snails, the researchers were able to determine why one species survived an event that wiped out most of the other snail species native to the islands. Other potential uses for the new microcomputer include oil tank monitoring, biochemical process monitoring, audiovisual monitoring, and intraocular glaucoma diagnosis.
Reem El Shazly
