Researchers create world's smallest "computer"

Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) in the United States has come out with the world's smallest "computer," a device that measures just 0.3 mm to a side, completely dwarfed by a grain of rice, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Unlike traditional desktop computers that always have their program and data there no matter unplugged or having power back, these new microdevices lose all prior programming and data as soon as they lose power.

"We are not sure if they should be called computers or not. It's more of a matter of opinion whether they have the minimum functionality required," said David Blaauw, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, who led the development of the new system.

In addition to the RAM and photovoltaics, the new computing devices have processors and wireless transmitters and receivers. As they are too small to have conventional radio antennae, they receive and transmit data with visible light. A base station provides light for power and programming, and it receives the data.

Designed as a precision temperature sensor, the new device converts temperatures into time intervals, defined with electronic pulses. The intervals are measured on-chip against a steady time interval sent by the base station and then converted into a temperature.