University of California researcher Chris Rutherglen shows off a radio made of carbon nanotubes, measuring "a few atoms across," that's 1,000 times smaller than today's radio technology.

As you see in the video, the bummer is that the teeny weeny radio still needs what looks like a AAA battery to power up. This doesn't have Rutherglen and his prof, Peter Burke, too upset. It's a breakthrough that will spread, as they explain in their research paper:

 

"Though we have only demonstrated the critical component of the entire radio system out of a nanotube (the demodulator), it is conceivable in the future that all components could be nanoscale, thus allowing a truly nanoscale wireless communications system."

The sky's the limit for this stuff: they're already talking smart-dust computing, with meterological, geophysical, biological and of course military implications. [BBC News]

Tags: clips | hardware | military | miniature | nanotech | radio