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Transistor Made From Cotton Yarn
MrSeb writes "Altering the very fabric of technophilic society, a multinational team of material scientists have created electric circuits and transistors out of cotton fibers (abstract). Two kinds of transistor were created: a field-effect transistor (FET), much like the transistors found in your computer's CPU; and an electrochemical transistor, which is similar but capable of switching at lower voltages, and thus better suited for wearable computers. Cotton itself is an insulator, but by using various coatings, the team from Italy, France, and the United States was able to make conductor and semiconductor cotton 'wires' that retained most of their flexibility. The immediate use-cases are clothes with built-in sensors (think radiation or heartbeat monitors), but ultimately, think of how many thousands of interconnections are in every piece of cotton clothing — you could make a fairly powerful computer!"
One of the first uses of punchcards-- indeed turing's inspirations-- was feeding patterns into looms. Somehow this is satisfyingly full circle in the age of steam punk.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
If the conductive elements are coatings on the threads, then are they insulated properly? Do you have to put on another layer of insulation? I should imagine that might hurt flexibility.
If I overclock a CPU made from this would it burst into flame?
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
The only logical thing I could think of for that would be one of those "@Home" projects but on a different crowd sourcing scale though even then battery life would suck.
Since you're fully integrated into the Matrix, I think battery life represents an entirely different problem.
Over the years I've spoken with many electrical engineers and software engineers, and heard much technical lore, but a cotton transistor? That is a yarn worthy of a prize.
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
foldingclothes@home*
*With apologies
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
What happens if you catch your sleeve on a sharp corner, the shirt starts unravelling and your processor is strung across the room? I guess you go to your IT Tailor specialist.
Rocket Surgeon.
So you mean clothes that would actively keep you warm? It's only a northern thong:)
FCKGW 09F9 42
From the summary: "think of how many thousands of interconnections are in every piece of cotton clothing — you could make a fairly powerful computer!""
There aren't that many connections. Assume a 200 thread count fabric, since it's both typical and makes the math easy. That thread count means in each square inch of fabric, you have 100 vertical threads and 100 horizontal, for a total of 10k crossings. To replicate just the old 100 MHz Pentium 1 processor (hardly what anyone would call a powerful computer), you'd need over two square feet of this stuff. If you want something decent, like what you might get in a modern smartphone, you'll need anywhere from ten to a hundred times that much. And remember that it won't run anywhere near the speeds of the IC, and that we haven't even allowed space for all the other essential bits of a computer (e.g. memory). If you want a powerful computer in your shirt, you're much better off sewing something tiny into the hem. Even then, the weight of the battery will be obnoxious.
Still very cool technology, but I see it being used for simpler distributed systems (like the mentioned sensors) rather than a fabric computer.
Nope, but expect the wet t-shirt to be worn by overclockers instead of cute chicks.
"without having to lug around a pocket-filling box."
Stop buying old tech. my dual core wearable computer does not fill a pocket and could easily be worn on a belt. plus my latest version runs 2 days on a single charge.
and glasses? Bah.
Put the information display on your arm.... http://www.getinpulse.com/ if you want to be less visible, otherwise you can easily strap the whole computer and display on your arm if you want to look more tech oriented.
Live it now, the tech already exists.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
In other news, TSA has now announced that in addition to not allowing the wearing of jewelry/accessories which have details vaguely resemble miniscule guns a few mm in length and not allowing the oh-so-dangerous hydrogen hydroxide aboard aircraft, they will also be banning cotton clothing due to recent chatter about the ability to weave dangerous devices into cotton fabric. Full story at 11.
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
And think of the possibilities! No more working out just to get that desert out of your system. Just calculate pi and that pie is gone.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
So it WILL be the end of wet t-shirt contests.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.