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Scienctists create bubble-powered computer

newscientisttech.com — A computer that carries out calculations using tiny bubbles instead of electricity has been developed by US researchers.

Who dugg this? Made popular Feb 9, 2007

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  • shifty2, on 10/12/2007, -5/+47"In practice, such a computer would be much bigger than a PC and about a thousand times slower."
    this must have taken A LOT of convincing to get funding... "well, it runs on bubbles, what else do you need to know?"

    and BREAKING: Scientists create Pixie Dust-Based Hard Drives - the dust aligns via unicorn horn magnets!! Pentabyte drives in Q4 2007!!
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+25Now if we can hook up the "Bubbles" to a series of connected "Tubes".....
  • quine, on 10/12/2007, -4/+25@CraigB12

    RTFA - Something like this could allow for significant enhancements to chemical analysis and testing. Furthermore, I wouldn't be surprised if it has untapped potential in pharmaceutical or general medical/life sciences beyond just testing applications. For instance - implanted drug dispensers that monitor your blood?
  • quine, on 10/12/2007, -1/+22@CraigB12

    *le sigh*

    "created the devices by etching channels about 1 micron wide into silicon. They used nitrogen bubbles contained in water to represent bits of information flowing through these channels"

    1 micron is pretty friggin' small, and quite an achievement. Also, I don't think they're really insinuating that and entire production-line computer system be made out of this stuff. but more-so create a system to research the possibilities of chipped fluid transfers.

    FTA:
    Lab chip

    But the real benefit of the work, Prakash says, is that the bubbles might also carry chemicals, molecules, or individual cells. This could mean more sophisticated types of "lab on a chip" – devices that use tiny amounts of chemicals to conduct diagnostics or detect pathogens. The same bubble that acts as a logical bit could also carry these chemicals for analysis.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18You can overclock it by using Mr Sparkle!
  • strictnein, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12The fact that CraigB12 was dugg and quine was buried is quite sad, since it's clear that Craig didn't RTFA and is just throwing out stupid comments. Once you get past the word "bubbles" and maybe (gasp!) RTFA it's clear that the implications of this type of tech are quite substantial.
  • deewt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Those scienctists can do anything! Perhaps they could write a spell check for their bubble-powered computer?
  • strictnein, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6A spammer can run on spit? Interesting
  • polyGone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I dugg ya up Craig....because you can make celery computers :)
  • cJw314, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8Scienctists?
  • imeddy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Sure gives a new meaning to 'bubble-sorting' ;0
  • trollick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"I predict that within 100 years, computers will be twice as powerful, 10,000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them."

    -- Professor John Frink
  • Unclekoolaid, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6In other news China has developed a cell phone that runs on rainbows and dreams
  • laserick, on 10/12/2007, -5/+8"I'm sorry, but the correct answer is "The Moops.""
  • fallenone05, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Support tech: "Thank you for calling Bubblelicious Computers, how can I help you?"
    Customer: "Hi, my computer is not turning on."
    Support tech: "No problem sir, we will ship you a supplement of our 'High Tech Bubble Solution 3.0' within three business days"
    Customer: "But, I have an important project I need to finish"
    Support tech: "Well, in the mean while, just put a quarter of Herbal Essence Shampoo in it."
    Customer: "Can I just use that from now on."
    Support tech: *hangs up*
    Customer: "Hello?"
  • artofwot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1At last! Who needs hydrogen powered cars - we can just use bubbles!
  • wonkavsn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Just like the computer in the original Rollerball movie!
  • xptweakerntn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Hey, how would you like to jump in the tub with me and tackle some Algebra 2"
    priceless pickup line
  • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So.... what happens to all the stock calculations when the bubble bursts?
  • sufferwell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"But I don't think its going to put silicon based computers out of business," he notes.

    Really?
  • shifty2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1digg up if you thought this something you would have read from bbspot or the onion
  • Ramtech, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1pix or I aint bubbling
  • TailGunner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1still no cure for cancer
  • Ratteler, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3February 11th 2084, Today in the news, SETI has finally picked up a signal from aliens due to the addition of the several million Jacuzzis.

    “I was in having sex with 2 of my teenage daughters classmates when the phone rang and I was informed that my iTUB had found the alien signal, and I was soaking in it.” said sports agent Myron Goldbaum of Bel Air.

    Sadly, it seem we are now on the road to war with the Aliens who opened communications by sending our signal back at us, which is a clear violation of the DMCA.

    In a press conference, President Chelsie Clinton-Blomberg-Regan stated that military intelligence sources assure her that the aliens have Weapons of Mass Communication and they pose an eminent risk to the series of Tubes that make the Internet.
  • dobesov, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You know they had one of these in the original Rollerball (1975). It was a liquid computer that contained all the information in the world and it tended to misplace entire centuries of history...
  • ElFredo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"But the real benefit of the work, Prakash says, is that the bubbles might also carry chemicals, molecules, or individual cells. This could mean more sophisticated types of "lab on a chip" – devices that use tiny amounts of chemicals to conduct diagnostics or detect pathogens. The same bubble that acts as a logical bit could also carry these chemicals for analysis. The technique could also lend itself to combinatorial chemistry, in which drug makers and others create and store vast libraries of new molecules."

    Imagine "smart" drugs, pills with embedded bubble computers.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Gives a whole new meaning to Lawrence Welk saying:"Some-a-body turn-a off the-a bubble machine!" (I think the skit was from National Lampoon Radio Hour)
  • edge10, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2To think like the Hu-man, to compute like the Hu-man.

    /Mst3k/Robot Monster reference.

    Ro-man and the Billion Bubble machine:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_Monster
  • GrayV, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I had a bath this morning after a vindaloo last night and think I calculated pi to 27000 decimal places.
  • BigSlacker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Such a limited vision. Think about implantable medical devices with logic that can run using your blood pressure.
  • Phearce, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2*exceptional* cross-reference!
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I would add Fizzy Lifting Drinks to my bubble PC in order to increase it's speed! Woot!
  • pairanoyd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This is so yesteryear. 1970's, Bubble Memory was the hot item. 1980's, deader than hell.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_memory

    This is just a recycled dead end. Nothing to see here, move along.



  • GrayV, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Now that's the sort of thinking we like!
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0nvm..
  • leffunov, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I don't trust those Scienctists for anything!!! Only trust genuine Scientists!! - Brought to you by People Who Correctly Spell Words Within Titles
  • david050, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0tiny bubbles make you feel happy.
  • RetroRufio, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3I wouldn't want to get anything that's larger than a PC implanted in me :(
  • anyquestions, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0@quine,

    i think you are looking too much into this.. and if we're already talking about injectible modules/dispensers, wouldn't a digital dispenser be much, much smaller and more accurate?

    i know when i'm given the choice, i'll take the digital micro-machine injection, not an analogue computer running on bubbles
  • jejones, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2No, no... it's the Don Ho One.
  • wobudong, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2I've been waiting for this. I'm going to fill my bathtub, add bubblebath, jump in and to some math problems.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3Code named: Lawrence Welk
  • ZakColeman, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Maybe we dont want bubbles flowing through all of our internets, ever think of that hmmm?!
  • razrielle, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5"My Bubbles!!!!"
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0could give new meaning to "Tiny bubbles... in my beer..."
  • CraigB12, on 10/12/2007, -16/+12I don't get the point of this. Why construct a computer that runs of bubbles, and not something that's actually constructive.
  • josegutz, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1When I saw this article, all I could think of was that song by 'Men Without Hats'

    'Pop Goes the World'

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