Skip to main content

World’s smallest computer is smaller than a grain of rice, powered by light

Gone are the days when computers were large, bulky pieces of machinery. Meet the Michigan Micro Mote, which has been deemed the world’s smallest computer.

At a time when computers are seemingly shrinking, the Michigan Micro Mote has taken the trend to a new level. To give you an idea of its size, the M^3 computer can fit seamlessly along the edge of a nickel. Its volume is about one millimeter cubed.

David Blaauw, computer science and engineering professor at the University of Michigan, worked with five students to create the device. Blaauw and his team were able to achieve the small size by taking the computer’s battery into consideration. By reducing the amount of power that it needed to work, they were able to minimize the battery and overall size of the computer.

The product has been under development for a decade. Because it does not use devices like a keyboard or a mouse, the developers were faced with the challenge of finding a new way for the computer to communicate. The M^3 was eventually designed to be programmed and charged with light.

When its operator strobes light at a high frequency, it can send information to the Micro Mote. Then, it can process the data and send it to a different computer through radio frequencies. The Phoenix processor inside of the compute requires just 500 pico-watts in standby mode, and it can charge its battery in a room with no natural sunlight.

World’s Smallest Computer | MconneX | MichEpedia

Medical professionals are among the people who are already interested in the tiny computer, which is small enough to be injected in the body. The computer can take pictures, read temperatures and record pressure readings, which could provide benefit to the healthcare industry. However, the oil industry is also interested in the M^3. The idea would be to use the computer to detect pockets of oil that could be extracted before moving onto a new site.

As for the Michigan team, they think that the M^3 could prevent people from losing items, such as keys or wallets. The computers could be adhered to items that may get lost, and its central system could help users find items around the house.

Needless to say, tiny computers are in big demand these days. Both Google and Intel recently announced the development of computers-on-a-stick – devices meant to connect to televisions and monitors and temporarily turn them into working computers. However, the Chromebit and Intel Compute Stick aren’t necessarily garnering attention from the healthcare or oil industries. The M^3 is in an entirely different league of small, and proves that there’s still room for the tiny computer concept to grow.

Editors' Recommendations

Krystle Vermes
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Krystle Vermes is a professional writer, blogger and podcaster with a background in both online and print journalism. Her…
The Nvidia RTX 3090 Ti could draw way more power than the RTX 3090
Branding on the RTX 3090.

Nvidia's RTX 40-series graphics cards are already in the works, but it seems Nvidia has a few more cards to release before the next-gen GPUs arrive. According to a new rumor from VideoCardz, Nvidia is working on an RTX 3090 Ti that features PCIe 5.0 support, extra cores, and a PSU-shredding 450W rated power draw.

The RTX 3090 Super has been rumored for a while, but the most recent rumors suggest Nvidia is sticking with RTX 3090 Ti as the name. The card could feature as high as a 450W TDP, which is 100W higher than the RTX 3090. Multiple leakers have pointed to higher power draw on next-gen Nvidia cards, but it seems the RTX 3090 refresh will have a higher power draw, too.

Read more
Asus teases release date of powerful Tiger Lake-H gaming laptops
asus teases intel tiger lake h laptops release date tease

Asus posted a teaser to its Republic of Gamers Twitter account today to announce an event where Asus is encouraging gamers to "unleash the tiger." The company also included #IntelGaming in the teaser, suggesting that the announcement is centered around Intel's anticipated Tiger Lake-H processors. The event is planned for 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday, May 11.

https://twitter.com/ASUS_ROG/status/1386998564790935557

Read more
Intel develops a cryogenic control chip expected to streamline quantum computing
Photo of Intel's Horse Ridge chip

Intel’s latest control chip is expected to help streamline the development of “commercially viable” quantum computers.

Intel announced the creation of a new control chip to be used with quantum computers via a press release posted on its Newsroom webpage on Monday, December 9. Code-named Horse Ridge, the new chip is notable because it’s expected to be able to control “multiple quantum bits” (or qubits) without having to rely on wires to transmit data to and from them.

Read more