Get Today's Headlines on your cellTI chip prototype uses 90 percent less power
4:41 PM Mon, Feb 04, 2008 | Permalink
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February 2008
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Last year, the folks at Texas Instruments began making a lot of noise about how computer chips could power revolutionary medical devices. Many of the devices they imagined simply used chips to improve existing stuff. An office-sized scanner, for example, could be shrunk down to the size of a briefcase. But all the coolest ideas revolved around one concept: implanting devices inside the human body. Each of the hypothetical implants -- a list that ranged from blood sugar monitors to artificial eyes -- faced individual technical hurdles, but most of them also faced the common problem of power consumption. Electronics require power, and it's tricky to deliver that power inside the human body. Given the aversion that most people would have to having power cords popping out of their bodies, device makers have traditionally relied on batteries. Unfortunately, batteries run out of power and eventually need replacement. It's annoying enough to pop open your remote control to replace batteries, but it's really a pain to cut open your chest. Problems with power supply thus pose a major hurdle to the development of medical devices, which is why people should be so happy to read that TI and researchers at MIT have developed a prototype chip that uses 90 percent less power than currently-available models. There is, of course, a catch. The research folks think they're five years away from preparing a design that can be mass produced and stuffed inside gizmos that will then go inside of you. "Medical devices are a particularly sensitive area in terms of testing and licensing," said Dennis Buss, TI's chief scientist. "That's probably a good thing." What else will ultra-low-power chips do? Nearly every portable electronic doodad. They'll power cellphones that perform more processor-intensive tasks -- things like playing video -- but need fewer charges. They'll power sensors for the military. Heck, they could theoretically improve the performance (or reduce the weight) of nearly everything that uses a battery. Given the potential impact for this technology, careful observers may question why TI stock fell a few cents today, rather than shooting up several bucks. Two reasons seem probably. First, exciting prototypes don't always live up to their potential. Second, TI cannot patent the core technology behind the new chips. The U.S. government helped to fund the research, so the results are public. "We expect to be first to market with products that use this technology," Mr. Buss said, "but this won't be an area of long-term exclusivity for us." E-mail entry: |
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