You are here: silicon.com > Hardware > PDAs

Boffins go for chicken and chips

What's next? Routers made out of beaks?

By Pia Heikkila

Published: 26 July 2002 11:35 BST

US scientists have developed a computer processor out of chicken feathers.

Boffins at Delaware University claim chicken feathers make an ideal building material for processors because they have hollow, strong shafts that can transport electricity almost as well as silicon.

The researchers managed to get electrical signals moving through the 'feather chip', but said there were minor problems with irregularities which occur when using organic matter to transmit electrical charges.

Add comment

Print story with

Email story

Trekkies see science fiction become science fact

Brit scientist redesigns the computer

Boffins create 3D-brain map

Google warns of spiralling hardware energy costs

What's in the box? IBM's Power5 architecture…

In silicon.com

Commentary

silicon.com Dear silicon.com... ZX Spectrum nostalgia, Mac attack, tag a bag… Reader Comments of the Week

Steve Ranger Editor's Blog: Home computing from Acorn, Amiga and Amstrad, to the ZX Spectrum Nostalgia 2.0...

Latest News

Holograms on handsets by 2010

iPhone: Beware the wi-fi security threat

iPhone 2.0: Lower price and "amazingly zippy"

Ubuntu Linux goes mobile

Gazing into the technological future

Tech-savvy workers to make IT decisions in future

Jobs

VHDL, Embedded C, FPGA, 40,000 - Stockport

VHDL, Embedded C, ARM, FPGA, 40K, Stockport The Candidate; Will be a specialist software engineer with a background in VHDL and Embedded C to ...

GBS-0088233 CRM Infrastructure Architect

Project subject matter includes: - improving relationships based on collection, analysis, delivery and use of customer data; - improvement ...

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER- BIRMINGHAM- 30K

Huxley Associates is working with a leading electrical company based in the Birmingham area. They are a company which are undergoing significant ...

Special Report Focus

CIO50 2008
The silicon.com CIO50 2008 profiles the most influential and innovative tech chiefs in the UK across all industries and organisation size, from the biggest FTSE100 companies to high growth dot-com start ups and the public sector. The list was voted on by the UK CIO community and a panel of experts. Find out more in our latest special report.