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| Credit: HP Labs |
The first products to use memristor
technology are becoming available
First theorised in 1971, memristors were described as the "missing link" in electric circuitry. As a fourth fundamental circuit element, they would have properties unachievable in the other elements (resistors, inductors, capacitors).
First theorised in 1971, memristors were described as the "missing link" in electric circuitry. As a fourth fundamental circuit element, they would have properties unachievable in the other elements (resistors, inductors, capacitors).
After 40 years of research and development, they are now appearing
in consumer products.* Unlike conventional computer memory, which
stores data with electronic on and off switches, memristors work at the atomic
level. These nanoscale devices have a variable resistance, able to
"remember" their resistance when power is off.
This makes them phenomenally faster, denser and more energy
efficient than previous electronics. Mobile phones and countless other gadgets
can now benefit from a vastly improved battery life, speed and memory capacity.
Desktop computers and laptops, meanwhile, can be booted-up almost instantly.
Because of their tiny size, memristors can also be used as microscopic sensors,
gathering a wide range of data from their surroundings.*
Another benefit of memristors is their reconfigurability. They can
be similar in behaviour to the synapses in brains. This offers the potential to
create electronics more capable of adapting to different situations and
exhibiting a form of learning, which may advance efforts in artificial
intelligence. Further into the future, it may be possible to build human
brain-like computers.*
References
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/09/hp_memristor_and_photons/
Accessed 29th July 2012.
THE MEMRISTOR – INCREDIBLE!, YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZAHG3COYYA
Accessed 1st September 2010.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/16/memristor_cat/
Accessed 1st September 2010.
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