Ever lose data because your computer loses power? Chia-Ling Chien, a professor of physics at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, may have a solution. He developed a new chromium dioxide material called "half-metallic ferromagnet" that could change the way computer memory works. Computer memory currently uses dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Chien's material enables a new technology called magnetic random access memory (MRAM), which he says will allow retention of data even when power is lost. "Capacitors in current memory systems leak and have to be refreshed to prevent data loss," says Chien. "MRAM relies on magnetic orientation. Loss of power would not mean a loss of the data it stores," he says. MRAM harnesses the power of the electron's spin, a characteristic that conventional electronic circuits do not use. Electronic spin and a material's magnetic property are linked. The new chromium dioxide material is 96% spin-polarized, meaning that nearly all electrons spin in the same orientation. The spin-polarized material is thought to be useful in electrodes, where controlling the magnetization makes the junction switch between high and low electrical resistance. For more information, go to www.pha.jhu.edu.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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