DARPA hard at work on nanomechanical chips

These chips won't be blazing through Crysis any time soon, but there's certainly room in the world for mechanical nanocomputers, and thanks to DARPA we might seem them in the real world sooner rather than later. The chips harken back Babbage's 13 ton difference engine, but with a whole lot more nano. They're also more robust, generate less heat and consume less power than their solid-state counterparts. DARPA has plenty of uses for them on the battlefield (like counting bullets, oddly enough), and consumers might seem them showing up car engines and children's toys.

[Via Crave]

[Serpentine_Solution @ Mar 14th 2008 10:55AM]

"counting bullets"??? so they just go 'Maximum Ammo'?.. i think they should 'Maximum Speed' their research.

[OneLove @ Mar 14th 2008 1:52PM]

How else would they get the player stats and which team won.

[OneLove @ Mar 14th 2008 1:53PM]

How else would they get the player stats and which team won.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Mar 14th 2008 4:17PM]

I think the idea is to add a counter to each rifle so the rifleman knows how many shots have been fired and how many are left. Being that it's a mechanical device means it can be trigger activated and may not require a battery or electrical power source. Also mechanical computers are not susceptible to enemy induced electromagnetic attacks and will continue to calculate trajectories or any other need even when all other systems have failed.

[Sportyboard @ Mar 14th 2008 10:56AM]

I was always under the impression that silicon chips we're invented so we wouldn't need something like this.

My fragile view of the universe has been shattered.

[Craig Tucker @ Mar 14th 2008 12:59PM]

Machines at the nano scale work very very different than machines at the macro scale. Also, there are certain advantages, such as resistance to radiation. Neat stuff, but I'm glad I got out of the industry...

[Philippe @ Mar 14th 2008 10:59AM]

Same "might seem them" typo twice in the post.?!. read-proofing is so passé.

[Johnny @ Mar 14th 2008 11:57AM]

I gotta say I usually don't mind a couple of typos, but 'see' was misspelled twice and then the entire last sentence got butchered.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Mar 14th 2008 12:38PM]

Between DARPA's dubious invention and Paul's typos, one might say the post WAS read-proof.

[corystal @ Mar 14th 2008 4:30PM]

whoa... i read it the way it was intended. knid of lkie taht tnhig how you can jmulbe ltretes of wrods but slitl raed it

[webon @ Mar 14th 2008 11:08AM]

Crysis? never heard of it, what about Doom??

[NHAnimator @ Mar 14th 2008 11:30AM]

I just love DARPA. Cutting-edge and challenging new ideas, pushing the limits of technology. Plus that show they did with Greg wasn't too bad, either.

[Derek @ Mar 14th 2008 1:11PM]

Funny how I just learnt about these (future wise) in my 500 level class at uni and this was just posted haha.

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 14th 2008 3:32PM]

Nope. Not really funny.

[stevew @ Mar 14th 2008 4:30PM]

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, 1995.

[j12997967 @ Mar 14th 2008 7:15PM]

You know what else would save energy? Shortening the name "Kanakasabapathi Subramanian"!

[hotwings1 @ Mar 14th 2008 8:14PM]

I've actually seen Babbage's difference engine at a museum in England. Its surprisingly accurate for its time.

[wawul @ Mar 14th 2008 8:19PM]

An era of nano steam punk is upon us !

[vudean @ Mar 14th 2008 10:57PM]

I thought Darpa was the people who ran the island on Lost...??