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Tiny polymer devices mimic neuron firing, pointing toward energy-efficient edge computing

Nanoscale mechanics could enable brain-inspired computing
This illustration shows the nano-mechanical devices the researchers developed. Inspired by neurons, they can perform computing tasks with high energy efficiency. Credit: Emily Theobald

MIT researchers have created a computing platform that could be used to develop intelligent and adaptive next-generation electronics that can perform multiple functions, like computing and memory, within one extremely compact, energy-efficient device.

Such a platform opens opportunities for low-power edge computing applications, interactive medical and environmental monitoring systems, and smart robots.

The researchers accomplished this by leveraging the unique mechanical response of soft polymers at the nanoscale. A mechanical response is how a structure changes when a force is applied to it.

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