World's Smallest Radio

Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created the world's first complete nanoradio. Physicist Alex Zettl led the development team and grad student Kenneth Jensen built the radio.

The nanoradio consists of a single carbon-nanotube molecule that serves simultaneously as all the essential components of a radio -- antenna, tunable band-pass filter, amplifier and demodulator. A direct current voltage source, supplied by a battery, powers the radio. They have demonstrate successfully both music and voice reception using carrier waves in the 40-400 MHz range and both frequency and amplitude modulation techniques.

This innovation opens the possibility of creating radio-controlled interfaces on the subcellular scale, which may have applications in the areas of medical and sensor technology. Sphere: Related Content