Sitting patiently before your computer as it boots up could soon be a thing of the past following the discovery of a new basic type of electrical circuit by electronics heavyweight Hewlett-Packard (HP).
New HP circuit technology set to give the boot to computer booting. Image: re-ality/Flickr.
According to the basics of electronic theory, there are three fundamental elements involved in the function of a passive electrical circuit, namely resistors, capacitors and inductors. However, after four decades of searching, HP scientists are now claiming to have found a potentially significant fourth element.
The Hewlett-Packard research team, led by Stanley Williams, has this week announced it has proven the existence of the “memristor” (memory resistor) which, until now, has only been a theoretical possibility put forth by Leon Chua of the University of California during the 1970s.
In uncovering the memristor, the team developed a mathematical model and physical example to support their find, which Williams describes in a Reuters report as “very different from any other electrical device.”
Outlining that no combination of resistor, capacitor or inductor will give the same property value as the memristor, Williams offers that the memory resistor functions by remembering the direction of the charge passing through it and expands to improve the flow, while it shrinks if current flows from the opposite direction.
In terms of incorporating the memory circuit technology into traditional computing platforms, Williams claims that having to boot the hard drive to access DRAM could soon be replaced by a system that instantly picks up where it left off when the user powered the computer down.
He also said that “memristance” could well play a sizeable role in pushing manufacturers in the development of nanoelectronic creations, noting that the influence of the memory resistor “gets more important as the device gets smaller.”
BillMay 2nd, 2008 - 00:34:58
Details would be nice. The photo of the 'boot' is just stoopid. But what else can one expect of 'jernalists' today? Even when not fabricating fake but accurate news (hiya, Dan Rather) they still exhibit their ignorance for all to see.
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