Communications of the ACM
Chemical Computer Can Be Programmed to Solve Hard Problems
This computer uses chemical reactions rather than electronics to perform computations.
Credit: Cronin et al.
Researchers at the U.K.'s University of Glasgow have programmed a chemical computer to solve specific problems, following earlier research on encoding data into the system.
The computer consists of a plastic grid of interconnected chambers filled with a liquid acid-salt solution, which triggers a chemical reaction when mechanically agitated.
The researchers adjust the speed of each stirrer to control the reaction rate in each cell, to program a specific problem.
The cells alternately flash red or blue lights during the reaction, with each flash equivalent to the 1s and 0s used in electronic computers; a video camera records the reds and blues, and uses that data to adjust the stirrers.
From New Scientist
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