pohanguniversityofscienceandtechnology
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Brain-like computers may now be realistic
Power consumption is one of the biggest reasons why you haven't seen a brain-like computer beyond the lab: the artificial synapses you'd need tend to draw much more power than the real thing. Thankfully, realistic energy use is no longer an unattainable dream. Researchers have built nanowire synapses that consume just 1.23 femtojoules of power -- for reference, a real neuron uses 10 femtojoules. They achieve that extremely low demand by using a wrap of two organic materials to release and trap ions, much like real nerve fibers.
New fuel cell tech could power phones for a week
No matter how efficient our devices get in terms of power usage, there's really only so much manufacturers can do given the limitations of the energy source: lithium-ion batteries. But researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea have designed what they're calling a miniaturized solid oxide fuel cell that could replace current battery tech in everything from mobile devices to drones. What's more, the tech could even be scaled up for larger applications including electric vehicles.
