The world's first complete millimeter-level computing system prototype

According to the report of the American Physicist Organization Network on February 22, American scientists have developed an implantable intraocular pressure monitor for use by glaucoma patients. It is believed that this is the world's first prototype of a complete millimeter-level computing system. Complemented by a set of compact radios that can be calibrated without tuning, multiple millimeter-level computing systems can be built into a wireless sensor network. These two developments are important milestones in the march towards the millimeter-level calculations, while the millimeter-level calculation is considered to be the frontier of the future of electronics research. Researchers have submitted relevant papers at the International Transistor Circuit Symposium held on the 22nd.

According to Bell's Law, one of the effective rules of computer development, about every 10 years, technological progress will lead to the emergence of a new, smaller-scale, lower-cost computer platform, from mainframes, personal computers, and laptops. Smart phone, this law has been fully confirmed. Researchers say that their newly-developed, almost invisible millimeter-level computing system will drive the future of the computer industry, Pervasive Computing (a new computing concept that emphasizes embedding computers in the environment or everyday tools. , Let the computer itself disappear from the sight of people).

The intraocular pressure monitor was developed by professors Dennis Sylvester and David Brower of the Department of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan and assistant professor David Wentzloff. They developed an ultra-low-power microprocessor. A complete pressure sensor, memory, a thin-film battery, a solar cell, and a compact radio with an antenna are all integrated, and the entire system is no more than a centimeter in size. The system takes measurements every 15 minutes. The average power consumption is 5.3 nanowatts. The battery can be charged after being exposed to 10 hours of room light or direct sunlight for 1.5 hours, and can store measurement information within a week. The research team stated that the device is expected to be launched in the next few years.

Although this new system was developed specifically for medical human sensor networks, it also has broad application prospects in tracking environmental pollution and monitoring the integrity of structures.

However, although this millimeter-level computing system is complete, the carried radio equipment cannot allow it to “talk” with similar other systems. This node-to-node communication is an important characteristic that a wireless sensor network must possess. For this reason, researchers are developing a radio device with an on-chip antenna. They use advanced complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes to control the shape and size of the antenna, which in turn can control the antenna's response to electronic signals, thereby avoiding the need to rely on the "talk" between two currently isolated devices. The heavy external balance line greatly reduced the size of the radio system.

Researchers are now studying how to reduce the radio's power consumption to make it compatible with millimeter-sized batteries. They also want to apply for patents for these seemingly small but significant advances and find business partners to bring these technologies to market.