Using light instead of electrons promises faster, smaller, more-efficient computers and smartphones
“By forcing light to go through a smaller gap than ever before, a research team at Imperial College London has taken a step toward computers based on light instead of electrons.
Light would be preferable for computing because it can carry much-higher-density information, it’s much faster, and more efficient (generates little to no heat). But light beams don’t easily interact with one other. So information on high-speed fiber-optic cables (provided by your cable TV company, for example) currently has to be converted (via a modem or other device) into slower signals (electrons on wires or wireless signals) to allow for processing the data on devices such as computers and smartphones…”
#future = #REALnews #tech #innovation #design #sustainability #science #engineering #singularity #progress
