Researchers have created a Kirigami mechanical computer ─ it works without electricity

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a computer that uses the art of kirigami, origami art combined with cutting, to create and control 3D shapes. It is therefore a fully mechanical computer that does not require electricity to operate.

The Kirigami computer consists of 64 interconnected cubes that are only 1 cm wide and high. The cubes are arranged so that their geometry represents data. The data is manipulated (or edited) by pushing the cubes up or down, which changes the geometry of the connected cubes. The 64-cube computer can be used alone or connected to additional Kirigami 64-cube computers to increase the complexity and storage capacity of the storage system.

Each cube in the computer is connected to the other by thin strips of elastic tape. When users go to edit data, they have to pull on the edges of the cube structure itself, which stretches the elastic band and forces them to change the position of each cube (up or down). Releasing the structure locks the cubes in place — much like saving a Word document or locking a file in «read-only» status.

According to Jie Yin, an associate professor at the University, the goal of the Kirigami computer is to develop a stable mechanical system for data storage. The main focus of the computer is binary computing functions. However, there is potential for more complex computing in the future, with the possibility of developing the Kirigami computer into a five-state computer that can represent states 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 (not just binary states).

The complexity of the Kirigami computer is almost infinite. Jie Yin talks about the idea of using such computers to perform a variety of unrelated functions, such as data encryption and haptic communication. Jie Yin says that Kirigami’s simple metastructure with only nine functional units has more than 362,000 possible configurations. By using all 64 qubits of the computer, the number of possible configurations can be increased exponentially.

The researchers claim that the Kirigami computer is protected from vulnerabilities that electronic computers are prone to, such as electromagnetic pulse and remote hacking. It also does not consume electricity, at least in its current form. However, how this will play out when integrated into a device remains to be seen. If the Kirigami computer completes its research phase, it could be used to replace modern electronic computers for certain tasks, such as storing data as a backup machine for governments, banks, and companies to combat computer viruses, theft, and other security vulnerabilities.

Source: tomshardware