Computers of Protein:
A look at the
various advances in
computer evolution.
An article by:
Comm. RM Wey
COSR: SFS - SFC
Over my tenure [and even before] as COSR, I have kept abreast of the various advances in the field of computer intelligence. We have commented on Neural Networks, Parallel-processing, bubble chip, and holographic memory. And now we see upon the horizon the possibility of Protein based machines that will have capabilities based upon the study of how the human brain functions.
As machines have become more complex, the size of each processor has shrunk, but there are limitations to such miniaturization, cost being foremost. Research is being conducted to find a new way of storing, accessing, and using data. Enter the protein molecule, at about 1/1000th the size of the semiconductor transistors currently in use, potential for speeds a thousand times greater are possible.
While no one is proposing a totally biomolecular machine, the possibility of one which uses the best of current technologies is within reason. Consider that a biological molecule can be designed one atom at a time, allowing control over how applications are to be performed by ‘creating’ the molecule to do precisely that. And such devices combined with existing parallel processing machines, as well as neural networks could be the key to new, ever more powerful machines.
As yet, no computer components of this type have yet been readied for market, but simpler forms have, such as the liquid crystal display units on laptop computers. These machines use semiconductors combined with organic molecules to control an images' intensity on the screen. And the use of bateriorhodopsin [as an example], has enabled information to be written to, and read from cubes of the material through the use of lasers.
Such cubes provide much more memory space than traditional storage devices due to their three dimensional nature. While two dimensional storage medium has a capacity limitation of approximately 100 million bits per square centimeter, three dimensional optical units can theoretically store upwards of one trillion bits per cubic centimeter.
The computers in the not too distant future will be ones of high flexibility. With the ability to take advantage of memory cards comprising of associative memory, three dimensional memory [both permanent and removable], and specialized semiconductor central processing units, such machines should be able to handle tremendous pools of data, and finding it in far less time than even todays fastest machines.