Computer as small as a grain of rice

American experts have created the world's smallest automatic computer, the size of a grain of rice.

The M3 computer is as small as a grain of rice. Photo: University of Michigan

The Michigan Micro Mote (M3) computer is a 32 mm cube. This is the product of more than a decade of research by a group of experts and students from the Computer Science Department of the University of Michigan, with the desire to create a computer as small as possible, meeting the needs of using smart connected devices today.

"To be a complete computer, the system must have data input, the ability to process and store it, make decisions about what to do next, and have data output," said Professor David Blaauw.

The device can now take pictures, record temperature and pressure, and then send the information to a base station, using sensors for input data and radio for output data. A 1 mm2 solar cell is used to power the computer.

The M3 has a tiny Phoenix processor, measuring just 915 x 915 µm2, using low voltage and consuming just 500 pW of power. The M3 can collect and transmit data at a maximum range of two meters. If the team wants to expand this limit, they will need to create a larger antenna and battery.

According to IB Times, scientists hope that M3 will be applied in industrial and environmental monitoring, or introduced into the human body for medical monitoring purposes.

According to VnExpress