Hasta La Gadget!

“Honey, I shrunk the kids” might be a statement from the world of science fiction, but in reality, we do seem to be making the move towards smaller and smaller devices. Computers have seen their processors shrink by leaps and bounds over the years, so much so that the smartphone in your hand could very well be a state of the art computer a decade or two back. Researchers at Stanford University unveiled on Wednesday what they claim to be the first working computer that was built entirely from carbon nanotube transistors.

Using seamless cylinders of ultrapure carbon, these are accompanied by a slew of other exotic materials researchers, allowing the researchers to further investigate the possibilities of smaller computers since electronics developers happen to be arriving at the theoretical limits of conventional silicon transistors. Of course, this particular invention is still primitive in nature, but it does show the possibility of transistors that are made using such unusual carbon fibers, all fitted into a general purpose computer.

Stanford University electrical engineer Max Shulaker, said, “It really is a computer in every sense of the word. This shows that you can build working, useful circuits out of carbon nanotubes and they can be manufactured reliably.”

First Nanotube Computer Constructed original content from Ubergizmo.

Carbon nanotube-based sensors are good at sniffing out all kinds of things, but applying the cylindrical molecules to a substrate has traditionally been a dangerous and unreliable process. Now, researchers at MIT have found a way to avoid the hazardous solvents that are currently used, by compressing commercially available nanotube powders into a pencil lead-shaped material. That allowed them to sketch the material directly onto paper imprinted with gold electrodes (as shown above), then measure the current flowing through the resisting carbon nanotubes — allowing detection of any gases that stick to the material. It works even if the marks aren’t uniform, according to the team, and the tech would open up new avenues to cheaper sensors that would be particularly adroit at detecting rotten fruit or natural gas leaks. For more info, sniff out the video after the break.

Continue reading MIT pencils in carbon nanotube gas sensor that’s cheaper, less hazardous (video)

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MIT pencils in carbon nanotube gas sensor that’s cheaper, less hazardous (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like a wisp of smoke or even the work of a very confused spider, but this is actually a close up of the lightest material that has ever been created. More »