Single Atom Transistors

When I was a kid my mother and father bought me a transistor radio for my birthday so could listen to Arnie Ginsburg on WMEX. It measured about 4"X6", about 2" thick and ran on a 9 volt battery. Earlier radios needed to be plugged into a 110 electrical outlet and were big, about as big as a loaf of bread . As I recall my new radio had 16 transistors. It was a real power house and a marvel for its time.

Radios have come a long way since then and so have transistors. First invented in 1954 transistors now power computers. And simply put (because I don't really understand why) the more transistors there are the more powerful the computer.

Physicists at Purdue University and the University of New South Wales have made a startling break through. They have built a transistor from a single atom.

So, what does this mean? It means in the near future, computers and other electronic devices will be more powerful and much faster.

How did they build it? Are you kidding? You're asking me? I have no clue...but here is a video from some people much smarter than I am explaining it.