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Michigan Micro Mote – World's Smallest Computer

eecs.umich.edu

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Re: Michigan Micro Mote – World's Smallest Computer

#51

Post by pharke »

ansible wrote: post #45
pjc50 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heat harvesting is tricky because it depends on temperature difference , so you need to keep the hot side and the cold side sufficiently far apart.

And you need some kind of heat engine to extract useful work from the difference. These typically have a significant size/mass associated with them. I think solar cells are the way to go for now, though vibration harvesting can work for some applications.

No engine required https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_effect

Re: Michigan Micro Mote – World's Smallest Computer

#52

Post by amyjess »

RobertoG wrote: post #3

Very cool. The pessimist (realist?) in me can't avoid remembering Vernor Vinge's "A Deepness in the Sky" novel, where the perfect surveillance device is a network of "dust computers".

Alternately, we could end up with something like the Angelnets from Orion's Arm.

Re: Michigan Micro Mote – World's Smallest Computer

#53

Post by Raphmedia »

Raphmedia wrote: post #50
IgorPartola wrote: post #4

So there would literally be a microchip in my brain?! All kidding aside, this is cool.

"So there could literally be a microchip in my brain?!" Fixed that for you.

Can't edit, so here's an explanation.

I didn't mean to say that I fixed the grammar. I meant it as in there could actually be a microchip in your brain right now. The tech exists.

Re: Michigan Micro Mote – World's Smallest Computer

#54

Post by dazmax »

krapht wrote: post #41

Smaller, lower power computers are great. But the problem is, and remains, the power consumption of the RF channel. It's all well and good that your processor consumes microamps, but one second of WiFi traffic at a reasonable transmit power takes hundreds of milliamps. Smart sensing system's power consumption is dominated by wireless communication energy costs.

What if you put a receiving antenna in every power outlet, light switch, and light fixture – then you could use these throughout the building.

Re: Michigan Micro Mote – World's Smallest Computer

#55

Post by sfeng »

Raphmedia wrote: post #53
Raphmedia wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"So there could literally be a microchip in my brain?!" Fixed that for you.

Can't edit, so here's an explanation. I didn't mean to say that I fixed the grammar. I meant it as in there could actually be a microchip in your brain right now. The tech exists.

The limitation is effective communication to/from the organic parts of your brain.

Re: Michigan Micro Mote – World's Smallest Computer

#56

Post by [deleted] »

lione wrote: post #39
ceequof wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ehhh. Marusek makes several rather large conceptual leaps in order to make his plot hang together: notably, both human clones and intelligent machines have no civil rights, at all, to the point that either can be killed at the will of their owners. Most ludicrously, there's no hint of political opposition or a protest movement. At no point does any character say anything like "Hey, wait, maybe clones are humans too?"…

If there's anything Sci-Fi has taught me, it's that sentient machines will either be our salvation or our doom, and in both of those cases, treating them like they have no rights isn't good for our health in the long run, so to do so is stupid. As for clones, considering how often our bodies replace all our cells, you aren't remotely close to the same person you were even a year ago, which proves that it's our minds…

[deleted]

Re: Michigan Micro Mote – World's Smallest Computer

#57

Post by Lorento »

lione wrote: post #39
ceequof wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ehhh. Marusek makes several rather large conceptual leaps in order to make his plot hang together: notably, both human clones and intelligent machines have no civil rights, at all, to the point that either can be killed at the will of their owners. Most ludicrously, there's no hint of political opposition or a protest movement. At no point does any character say anything like "Hey, wait, maybe clones are humans too?"…

If there's anything Sci-Fi has taught me, it's that sentient machines will either be our salvation or our doom, and in both of those cases, treating them like they have no rights isn't good for our health in the long run, so to do so is stupid. As for clones, considering how often our bodies replace all our cells, you aren't remotely close to the same person you were even a year ago, which proves that it's our minds…

It doesn't have to be for "our" benefit (who's that? not us personally, we won't be there). It could be for their own benefit - same reason slaves were freed.
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