German researchers have built a quantum transistor using just a single atom

IMG_8418

A team of researchers at Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have developed a quantum transistor using just a single atom, and capable of operating at room temperature.

The device points toward major new frontiers in computing power and efficiency. Transistors, which control the flow of electronic signals, are the basis of modern electronics. The steady reduction in the size and energy consumption of transistors has been the fundamental driver of advances in computing power for more than half a century.

Continue reading… “German researchers have built a quantum transistor using just a single atom”

A 2D material that generates electricity from movement could someday be woven into our clothes

Model Release-YES

The 2D material is known as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2).

A transparent, flexible material only as thick as an atom could one day power our electronics, according to a paper published to be published in Nature. And the best part is it could generate electricity from walking, running and other everyday motions.

 

 

Continue reading… “A 2D material that generates electricity from movement could someday be woven into our clothes”

Nuclear Missing Link Created at Last: Superheavy Element 117

nuclear elemental link 1523

An international team of scientists from Russia and the United States, including two Department of Energy national laboratories and two universities, has created the newest superheavy element, element 117. The lifetime of element 117, which has now been created in the lab for the first time, confirms that superheavy elements lie in an island of stability on the periodic table.

Continue reading… “Nuclear Missing Link Created at Last: Superheavy Element 117”

Muvi Atom Is World’s Tiniest Camcorder

dv-atom 1423

 

Muvi makes small, clever, little camcorders. Their previous model, the Micro DV, was considered to be the smallest camcorder available. That was of course, until the Atom came out. Measuring a tiny 1.5 inches tall, it’s the choice of hidden shower cam aficionado’s everywhere.

Ok, maybe you can convince me that there’s a legitimate use for this, but I’m having trouble figuring out what that would be. The Atom records to a microSD card, supports up to 8GB, and it’s voice activated.

Continue reading… “Muvi Atom Is World’s Tiniest Camcorder”

Stunning Image of a Single Molecule

single molecule

Even the bonds to the hydrogen atoms at the pentacene’s periphery can be seen

The detailed chemical structure of a single molecule has been imaged for the first time, say researchers.  The physical shape of single carbon nanotubes has been outlined before, using similar techniques – but the new method even shows up chemical bonds.

 

Continue reading… “Stunning Image of a Single Molecule”

Creating the Ultimate Small Storage Particle

Creating the Ultimate Small Storage Particle

When will we reach an endpoint? The answer (after the jump) will surprise you

“When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images.” – Niels Bohr, recipient of the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physics

I’ve had this ongoing notion that researchers will soon reach the point of creating the ultimate small storage particle. In discussing this with some nanotech friends, they felt we may reach an endpoint when we get to the size of the electron. So I decided to run with that assumption and calculate out how long it would take, based on Moore’s Law, to reach a point where we are storing information on electrons.

Continue reading… “Creating the Ultimate Small Storage Particle”

Smart Camera That May Someday Be A Robot’s Eye

Smart Camera That May Someday Be A Robot’s Eye 

 Matrox Iris GT Camera

Wondering what Montreal-based Matrox has been doing since it conceded the graphics card wars to NVIDIA and ATI a few years ago? Besides building lots of great video editing equipment, the company has been working on Iris GT, a smart camera that’s packed with processing power and might just be a body part of our future robot overlords.

Continue reading… “Smart Camera That May Someday Be A Robot’s Eye”

World’s Most Powerful Electron Microscope

World’s Most Powerful Electron Microscope 

 Titan 80-300 Cubed Microscope

The Hubble telescope has a competitor. It’s not a telescope, but a microscope. The competition isn’t looking for stars and galaxies, but seeking atomic levels instead. McMaster University Canada has installed the world’s most powerful electron microscope at its Center for Electron Microscopy. Built in the Netherlands, the Titan 80-300 Cubed microscope is the planet’s most powerful and advanced microscope.

Continue reading… “World’s Most Powerful Electron Microscope”

Graphene – World’s Strongest Known Material

Strongest Known Material

 

Graphene, praised for its electrical properties, has been proven the strongest known material.

Materials scientists have been singing graphene’s praises since it was first isolated in 2005. The one-atom-thick sheets of carbon conduct electrons better than silicon and have been made into fast, low-power transistors. Now, for the first time, researchers have measured the intrinsic strength of graphene, and they’ve confirmed it to be the strongest material ever tested. The finding provides good evidence that graphene transistors could take the heat in future ultrafast microprocessors.

Continue reading… “Graphene – World’s Strongest Known Material”