Can the foldable computer chip change the world: its hidden possibilities and issues?

Anyone who is living in computer chips will be so, but James Meyers is a fundamental silicon followers.Meyers says, "Silicon is very good."

Silicon is a natural semiconductor that can be used as an insulator depending on the conditions, and can be finely processed.It is also the second most common element on the earth, and may be on the soles of your feet.And it can be easily made by heating the sand.

Silicon, which has such excellent characteristics, is the foundation of almost all technology used now.People, like Meyers, an engineer of a semiconductor -giant arm, spend most of the time to think about how to pack as many silicon as possible into smaller space.

In the 1970s, thousands of transistors, which were thousands of chips, are now hundreds of billions of exponences.Considering the "Moore's Law" that the semiconductor accumulation ratio is doubled in 18 months, we say that we are "in the sea of silicon."

But in recent years, Meyers has looked at other materials such as plastic as well as silicon.In other words, it is to review it again on a zero base.

A few years ago, Meyers' research team started designing plastic computer chips equipped with dozens of transistors.The number of transistors to be incorporated has increased to hundreds, and it is now tens of thousands.The plastic chip was published in the Nature magazine on July 21.

This 32 -bit microcessor contains 18,000 logical gates (electric switches obtained from a combination of transistors), and the basic part of the brain of the computer, such as processors, memory, controller, and input / output devices.It is provided.

What can do it?Just think of a desktop PC in the early 1980s.

Reasons for going against progress

Why do you go against technology advances?The modern silicon chip is a thin board that is equipped with electronic components and lacks flexibility.If you add force, the silicon chip will break.

Also, although silicon is inexpensive and cheaper, it can still be too expensive depending on the application.For example, instead of displaying the expiration date printed on the package, use a computer chip in a milk pack and use it as a sensor that chemically detects signs of corruption.It may be convenient to some extent, but it is worth adding a tip to billions of milk packs only when the cost is minimal.

One of the uses tested by the arm is a chest -mounted chip that monitors the patient's arrhythmia (the rhythm of the pulse is not constant).It is a disposable chip that uses for a few hours.

Inexpensive computers are needed to achieve this, but more importantly, bending computers."It is necessary to turn to the wearer's movement so that it does not come off," says Meyers.

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