Dave Gershgorn
at 13:50 PM Dec 14 2015

The gold standard of artificial intelligence is a computer that can learn the same way we do as humans. For example, if you see just one toothbrush and know its use, it's pretty easy to identify other toothbrushes. If it's long, thin, has little bristles and a handle, we can be pretty sure it's a toothbrush. And since we know it has to fit in a mouth, we can imagine what would be a good tool for the job, and what might not, further limiting what a toothbrush can be.

Daniel Engber
at 05:53 AM Feb 28 2014
Tech // 

Before a computer can load its operating system and locate drivers for its components, it must recognize that it has been turned on at all. This task falls to a relatively simple device known as the power-on reset circuit. “In its very basic form, it’s simply a little capacitor and a resistor and a little inverter, something like that,” says David Blaauw, a professor in the Michigan Integrated Circuits Laboratory at the University of Michigan. The power-on reset circuit is hardwired to recognize a minimum voltage level. When voltage crosses that threshold, the circuit signals the processor to execute a set of commands that allow for the loading up of the system.

Adam Baer
at 02:00 AM Nov 6 2012
Tech // 

Not all computers are made of silicon. By definition, a computer is anything that processes data, performs calculations, or uses so-called logic gates to turn inputs (for example, 1s and 0s in binary code) into outputs. And now, a small international community of scientists is working to expand the realm of computers to include cells, animals, and other living organisms. Some of their experiments are highly theoretical; others represent the first steps toward usable biological computers. All are attempts to make life perform work now done by chips and circuit boards.

Clay Dillow
at 11:53 AM Apr 17 2012

If biomimicry is the instance of technology emulating natural processes, then this must be something like the opposite: researchers at Kobe University have built a computer out of crabs. Placed within a geometrically constrained environment, swarms of soldier crabs can be effectively used to emulate logic gates. In other words, researchers have replicated the fundamental workings of a computer - with crabs.

Staff Writers
at 05:01 AM Dec 17 2011
Gadgets // 

When it comes to the most personal files, it can be hard to trust the cloud. The iTwin USB dongle provides secure access to a computer's hard drive from any machine with a Web connection. Users plug half of the iTwin into a primary computer and set a password. Connecting the other half to another machine opens a direct link between the two. As files move between the pair, they are encrypted in 256-bit AES, the same standard used for military documents. If either half goes missing, both can be remotely deactivated. US$100

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