WHO
Researchers at Tufts University have created microprocessor-scale transistors that can detect and respond to biological states and the environment.
WHAT
A team at Tufts University’s Silklab has created transistors by replacing the insulating material with biological silk. Traditionally, transistors in microprocessors are made from inorganic materials such as silicon and metals. However, by incorporating biological silk as the insulating material, these new hybrid transistors can detect and respond to biological states and environmental conditions. By altering the ionic composition of the silk, these transistors can process variable information, similar to analog computing. This breakthrough in microprocessor technology paves the way for self-training microprocessors and new interfaces between electronics and biology. Having billions of transistor nodes with connections reconfigured by biological processes in the silk could lead to microprocessors that could act like the neural networks used in AI. The team’s first demonstration of a prototype device used hybrid transistors to create an ultrafast and highly sensitive breathing sensor, which detects changes in humidity.
WHERE
Tufts University, Medford, MA
WHY
This breakthrough holds substantial potential for health applications, including medical diagnostic equipment. The hybrid transistors can potentially detect cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, sleep apnea, blood oxygenation, and glucose levels.
WHEN
The development of silk fibroin hybrid transistors into microprocessors poses interesting possibilities for the future of computing.
For more information, contact Mike Silver at
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