MIT builds nanoscale devices that mimic neuron firing

MIT researchers have built a chip containing hundreds of nanoscale devices, each with a viscoelastic polymer layer measuring just 2 nanometers. These devices mimic neuron firing through reconfigurable motion, potentially leading to more efficient computing platforms. The technology minimizes components by integrating computing functions into the material itself, opening opportunities for low-power applications like wearable health devices. “Complex and coupled nanoscale phenomena can provide tremendous opportunities for new approaches to information processing,” says Farnaz Niroui, an associate professor at MIT and senior author of the research. Featuring a 2-nanometer layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a viscoelastic polymer, the core of the new nanoscale devices dictates how they process information through…