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posted by mrpg on Tuesday March 20 2018, @12:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the technology-is-getting-bigger-and-smaller dept.

IBM has built a computer smaller than a grain of salt intended for anti-counterfeiting... and it uses a blockchain:

IBM has unveiled what it claims is the world's smallest computer—the size of a grain of salt. The computer will cost less than $0.10 to manufacture, and is intended for logistics applications.

The device is one type of what IBM calls "crypto-anchors"—"digital fingerprints" that can be embedded in everyday items in order to verify their provenance and contents. Another example of this concept is edible ink that can be stamped on pills.

The idea is to use these methods to link things to their records, which are stored on a blockchain.

The computer includes several hundred thousand transistors, static RAM, an LED and a photodetector for communication, and an integrated solar cell.

Also at Engadget, Notebookcheck, and CNET.


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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by cocaine overdose on Tuesday March 20 2018, @12:47AM (4 children)

    >The computer includes several hundred thousand transistors, static RAM, an LED and a photodetector for communication, and an integrated solar cell.

    Hubba bubba, my eyes just popped out faster than Tom cat when he saw his Toodles Galore. The size of a grain of rice? You're telling me... hol up... you're tell... hol.... you're telling me this is RFID 2.0? We can now compute new data instead of keeping it static? Holy shit, NSA save the Queen, George Washington's teeth just cracked. Think about it. If we can develop this tech more, we can airdrop them all over metropolitan areas. Then, they specialize into two groups: stationary receivers and moving transmitters. An entire goddam network of these little buggers. The ones that move, i.e the ones that have landed in our hair, clothes, and digestive system, are transmitting data to the stationary receivers, that are spread around on the sidewalk, buildings, etc. Who needs cell tower triangulation? You've got an entire net of info! Every step you make, every breath you take, IBM's tiny computer will be transmitting your whereabouts and vitals.

    It's over, boys. Pack it up. The last train to Privacy-ville just left the station, and you're not on it.
    • (Score: 2) by arslan on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:03AM

      by arslan (3462) on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:03AM (#655248)

      Don't forget the bugs and animal kingdom... if we can mount these on em, not even the cave dwellers will be safe... and bonus to those folks that have fetishes on the bug & animal kingdom..

    • (Score: 2) by pipedwho on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:49AM (1 child)

      by pipedwho (2032) on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:49AM (#655263)

      Grain of salt. And it being optical, only works within line of sight. Although from a tracking perspective, the whereabouts of the hoodie and jeans you're wearing will probably be a good enough indicator of your movements once your cell phone or vehicle has been cross referenced.

      • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday March 20 2018, @02:08PM

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday March 20 2018, @02:08PM (#655377)

        If it's optical, not RFID, then they're powering it via the onboard solar cell - I'm guessing it takes some impressively bright light to get this thing to wake up.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday March 20 2018, @04:41PM

      by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday March 20 2018, @04:41PM (#655470) Journal

      And they're soooo mysterious: they're the size of a grain of salt, but SMALLER than a grain of salt. I bet they're BIGGER than a grain of salt on the inside!

      They're both alive AND dead, too!

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Guppy on Tuesday March 20 2018, @12:52AM

    by Guppy (3213) on Tuesday March 20 2018, @12:52AM (#655216)

    From a passage in Vernor Vinge's "A Deepness in the Sky" -- the Larson Localizer, a prototype of the Smart Dust concept, featuring cheap ultra-tiny processors, equipped with a few transducers and sensors of various types:

    "Among the unsuspecting, they are an espionage miracle. Abused, they lead to ubiquitous law enforcement, and a quick end to civilization."

  • (Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:00AM (3 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:00AM (#655246) Journal

    - can they run Linux?
    - Imagine a beowulf cluster of those

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday March 20 2018, @02:06PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday March 20 2018, @02:06PM (#655373)

    That's some impressive effort for the potential power being collected.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:26PM

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Tuesday March 20 2018, @03:26PM (#655414) Journal

    The computer includes several hundred thousand transistors, static RAM, an LED and a photodetector for communication, and an integrated solar cell.

    What's missing from that list is non-volatile memory. Oh, and a battery. So I get it will lose all data as soon as it gets dark?

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
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