THE TECH-LICIOUS: COMPUTING

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<img alt="Crossbar's resistive RAM" height="350" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/f13813d0293a0c8659ac26b0c44828b3/200471424/crossbar-rram-630.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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You may think that the 3GB of memory in your new smartphone is hot stuff, but that pales in comparison with what Rice University has in store. Its scientists have detailed a form ofresistive RAM (RRAM) that can be made using regular equipment at room temperatures, making it practical for everyday gadgets. The trick is the use of porous silicon oxide where metals (such as gold or platinum) fill the gaps. Using the silicon material doesn't just give manufacturers something familiar to work with; it requires much less power than previous techniques, can last through 100 times as many uses and isn't fazed by heat. It's also far denser than earlier RRAM, storing nine bits per cell where even conventional flash storage stops at three. The result should be an easy-to-make RAM chip with the kind of capacity that you'd normally expect from much larger permanent storage, like an SSD -- as the company Crossbar hinted when it first discussed this approach, you could stuff 1TB into a component the size of a postage stamp.</div>
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That's just about ideal for mobile devices, and could mean that future phones and tablets won't have to worry about low memory errors for a long, long time. Crossbar's technology is due in later this year in chips destined for embedded uses like appliances and cars, so the breakthrough won't be noticeable at first. Research lead James Tour tells MIT that he expects a deal with an unnamed manufacturer in the next couple of weeks, though, so it's entirely possible that this super-capacious memory will become commonplace.</div>
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<img alt="Rice University's new resistive RAM" data-credit="Tour Group/Rice University" data-mep="364265" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/d6138d33b3ecc79e751c06e6045ef72/200471372/rice-rram.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto !important; max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/24/future-phone-terabyte-storage/#comments" style="color: #3399cc; display: block; float: left; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 10px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; top: -1px;"><i class="s-comment-bubble-black-12" style="background: url(http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/s-1x-s3dc1f836c6.png) 0px -2123px no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 11px; margin-left: 4px; overflow: hidden; text-indent: -9999em; width: 11px; zoom: 1;"></i></a></div>
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Future phones could house a terabyte of storage

You may think that the 3GB of memory in your new smartphone is hot stuff, but that pales in comparison with what Rice University has in store. Its scientists have detailed a form ofresistive RAM (RRA…

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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Microchips, drug dispensing implant contraceptive thing" src="http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/drug-dispensing-contraceptive-chip-640x353.jpg" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">An MIT spin-off in Massachusetts, backed by the Gates Foundation, has developed a small, remote-controlled drug-dispensing implant that sits just under your skin. To activate the drug dispenser you simply press a button on a wireless remote control — and press it again to turn it off. Such an implant could be used to dispense a whole range of useful drugs — but in this case, one of the first commercial applications will be the contraceptive hormone <span style="color: black;">levonorgestrel, which is already used by a number of female birth control methods. A single implant can apparently provide enough levonorgestrel to be effective for 16 years; currently, no implanted contraceptive works for more than five years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The implanted device, developed by the rather unimaginatively named Microchips in Lexington, is 20mm (0.8in) square and 7mm thick. Contained within the device is a microchip (thus the company’s amazing name) that contains a series of drug reservoirs. This is where the magic occurs: Each reservoir is gated by a special titanium and platinum seal that temporarily melts when an electric current is applied, allowing the drug to seep out. Apparently the reservoirs are large enough to carry a 16-year supply of the hormonal contraceptive <span style="color: black;">levonorgestrel. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/technology_infographic.jpg" style="color: #b1700a; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Microchips implant drug dispensing infographic diagram thing" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-185874" height="504" src="http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/technology_infographic.jpg" style="border-style: none;" width="384" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If 16 years of continued contraception wasn’t cool enough, the implant can also be activated and deactivated wirelessly. So, the implant would continue to provide birth control — until you press a button on a remote control, in which case it would be turned off, and you could then get pregnant again. Sadly, exact details on how the implant actually works — most notably the wireless connectivity and the magical melting/re-forming seal — are fairly hard to come by. But, considering it’s based on tech that MIT pioneered way back in the late ’90s, and now the involvement of the Gates Foundation, presumably it all works as advertised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So far, the Microchips implant has been successfully used to dispense drugs to osteoporosis patients. Now, with the Gates Foundation getting involved, the new contraceptive version of the implant is being developed. The current plan is to begin testing in 2015 and have it on the market by 2018. (Remember, the Gates Foundation is all about improving the quality of life for people living in developing countries, and reliable contraception is key to such an endeavor. Last year we wrote a fantastic story about the Foundation funding the creation of an impenetrable graphene condom…)</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/microchips-implant.jpg" style="color: #b1700a; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Microchips implant" class="size-large wp-image-185875" height="897" src="http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/microchips-implant-640x897.jpg" style="border-style: none;" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">An older Microchips implant (I think it measures around 5cm on the longest side.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The obvious advantage of such a drug-dispensing implant is that it removes a large portion of the potential human error. Rather than having to take a pill every day, or visit a doctor for an injection every few months, the implant just sits there, dutifully dispensing drugs for 16 years. If you decide it’s the right time to get pregnant, just push the button. There’s no mention of it on the Microchips website, but presumably a male version could also be developed (though male hormonal contraceptives aren’t quite as developed yet as their female counterparts).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As with any medical implant, my mind readily races towards possible flaws and misuses of the Microchips technology. Obviously the wireless remote control is only useful if it remains in the hands of the woman with the implant. You also can’t rule out the possibility of outside actors remotely hacking the implant to turn it off — so the woman might think she’s protected, but isn’t. The possibilities get even scarier when you consider that these implants might eventually be used for other drugs, too. It was almost three years ago that we first discussed the lethal wireless insulin pump hack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Imagine a future, where everyone is equipped with a range of drug-dispensing implants that lay dormant until they’re needed. Feeling the onset of ‘flu? Just push a button to dispense some drugs. Got food poisoning? Push the button. Feeling down and need a quick boost of serotonin? Mmm, warm and fuzzy button. Need to kill someone quickly and remotely? Hack one of their drug dispensing implants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">SOURCE-<a href="http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/185871-the-future-of-birth-control-and-drug-delivery-remote-controlled-implants-that-last-for-16-years" target="_blank">EXTREAM TECH</a></span></div>
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The future of birth control and drug delivery: Remote controlled implants that last for 16 years

An MIT spin-off in Massachusetts, backed by the Gates Foundation, has developed a small, remote-controlled drug-dispensing implant that sits just under your skin. To activate the drug dispenser you s…