Storing Memory on a Chip with Flowing Water

Storing memory on a chip with flowing water

Like the folds in crumpled sheets or the footprints on recently trodden sand, certain materials mark their histories. Now, Yale researchers show that networks of flowing water and other fluids can store their own memories—similar to how a computer chip does—an innovation that could steer robots and provide insight into some simple organisms. The results are published in Physical Review X.

Microfluidic chip stores memories in flowing water using tiny fibers

Pressure changes the shape of tiny fibers inside a microfluidic chip, altering how liquid moves through its channels.