Honey could be the key element that was missing to make computer chips more powerful and sustainable. According to a recent study carried out in the United States, the sweet substance can be used to produce environmentally friendly semiconductors with greater capacity to process and store data. The idea is to bring the potential of chips closer to that of a human brain by using fast neuromorphic engineering, which is guaranteed to save more energy.
The group of engineers at Washington State University proves that a memristor, a transistor-like component capable of processing and storing data, can be made from honey. Feng Zhao, the professor who is leading the study, refers to a device of small dimensions and simple structure, an appearance that does not do justice to the complex functionalities it combines, even equating it to the capacity of a human neuron. This means that, if the project manages to bring together millions and millions of memristors, everything will be transformed into a neuromorphic system that operates in a manner approaching that of a human brain.
Processed into a solid form, the honey is placed between two metal electrodes, as if it were a human synapse. Due to the substance being less perishable, the chips will therefore become more stable and durable.
The experiment also concludes that the biodegradable honey memristor, which is about the width of a hair, is indeed capable of reproducing human synapses. And when this device is no longer useful, it can simply be dissolved in water to dispose of it, which makes it renewable and biodegradable.
The group of engineers at Washington State University proves that a memristor, a transistor-like component capable of processing and storing data, can be made from honey. Feng Zhao, the professor who is leading the study, refers to a device of small dimensions and simple structure, an appearance that does not do justice to the complex functionalities it combines, even equating it to the capacity of a human neuron. This means that, if the project manages to bring together millions and millions of memristors, everything will be transformed into a neuromorphic system that operates in a manner approaching that of a human brain.
Processed into a solid form, the honey is placed between two metal electrodes, as if it were a human synapse. Due to the substance being less perishable, the chips will therefore become more stable and durable.
The experiment also concludes that the biodegradable honey memristor, which is about the width of a hair, is indeed capable of reproducing human synapses. And when this device is no longer useful, it can simply be dissolved in water to dispose of it, which makes it renewable and biodegradable.
