Nanotube Radio

So, you want to see something cool?

We were discussing this in one of my classes. I think it is beyond awesome. A radio “thousands of times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.” (See link #2 below) Imagine the possibilities!!

From the Berkeley website:

“We have constructed a fully functional, fully integrated radio receiver, orders-of-magnitude smaller than any previous radio, from a single carbon nanotube. The single nanotube serves, at once, as all major components of a radio: antenna, tuner, amplifier, and demodulator. Moreover, the antenna and tuner are implemented in a radically different manner than traditional radios, receiving signals via high frequency mechanical vibrations of the nanotube rather than through traditional electrical means. We have already used the nanotube radio to receive and play music from FM radio transmissions such as Layla by Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominos) and the Beach Boy's Good Vibrations. The nanotube radio's extremely small size could enable radical new applications such as radio controlled devices small enough to exist in the human bloodstream, or simply smaller, cheaper, and more efficient wireless devices such as cellular phones.”

http://www.physics.berkeley.edu/research/zettl/projects/nanoradio/radio.html

And some follow-up articles

1. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/10/nano_radio

2. http://www.physorg.com/news111845637.html