>> 175 years ago, when
writing down the world's
first computer program,
Ada Lovelace remarked
that computers might act on
other things besides numbers
if suitable objects could be found.
Far ahead of her time, Ada
lacked those suitable objects.
Our generation possesses them.
In my research, I build computers that run
on chemistry instead of electricity.
It turns out that the exact
same switches that compose
your laptops and cell
phones can be constructed
with chemical reactions
that release a high
or low concentration of molecule instead
of a high or low voltage of electricity.
These switches are generally mixed
into a liquid or embedded
inside of a material.
Right now, they can
perform basic addition,
calculate the square root of nine,
or play a game of tic-tac-toe.
In general, they're
worse than electronics.
They are slower.
They're more expensive.
They're difficult to power.
But they have one key attribute that
makes them particularly compelling.
Their outputs are real,
physical molecules,
which means that instead of
lighting up pixels on a screen,
chemical computers can directly
manipulate behavior of physical materials.
For instance, one possible
output molecule that
chemical computers can
release is a nano-scale
building block, like a very tiny LEGO,
which combine together to
form larger structures.
By controlling the order
in which these chemical
building blocks are
released, chemical computers
can make technology that
grows without needing
a human to put it together.
If wildly successful, you'll
start to see non-biological
materials programmed with
traditionally biologic behaviors.
Airplane wings that heal.
Medicines that communicate
with our bodies.
Skyscrapers that grow up from the Earth.
But there's a problem.
Chemical computers
require nutrient molecules
in order to operate,
and there's a limit to
how much nutrient you can provide them.
Too much and they run too quickly
and start to make mistakes.
I've built a chemical power
supply that can be mixed
in with the rest of the computer to
hand out fresh nutrients
on demand, when necessary.
This extends the lifespan of the computer
and allows it to perform
more advanced operations.
Ada Lovelace was amongst the first people
to contemplate what
computers are capable of.
She was in 1843, before
computers even existed.
Since then, the computer revolution has
come to define the modern age we live in.
I believe our generation
is poised to spark a
second computer generation,
a second computer revolution,
excuse me, by using chemical
circuits to allow programs
to run outside of the computer
in the real, physical world.
Thank you.
(audience applause)
