Everything You Must Know about the Computer That Ran on Water

Emma | 04 - 15 - 2024
Computer That Ran on Water

Have you heard of the computer that ran on water? We have! So, we would like to share all the information on “the computer that ran on water” with you. Let’s begin with the fascinating facts on the “water-powered computer.”

Hydro-Powered Computer

Some of the early versions of the inventions we currently use might surprise you. For instance, you will be bewildered when you read the ten fascinating early versions of inventions we still use today. The computers of the early 20th century were pretty huge and complex. They contained large mechanical gears. He invented the hydraulic integrator in 1963. In this historical water-driven computer, he replaced the huge mechanical gears with water. The machine was also known as the “water integrator,” and he built it as one of the earliest analog computers in the Soviet Union.

Vladimir Lukyanov’s Hydro-powered Computer

The computers of the early 20th century were huge.
  • A. True
  • B. False

Water-Based Computing

In 2015, a person called Manu Prakash, along with his team of engineers, announced his creation of a computer that used water droplets. The presence or absence of these water droplets represented the 1s and 0s, respectively. Sounds intriguing, right? So, let’s have more of these water-driven computing insights! 

The 1s and 0s Computers Use

Water-Driven Computer Technology

People protect their gadgets from water, but Manu Prakash created a computer that operates using droplets of water. The computer uses water droplets to send data instead of electrons. The main part of a water computer is its clock, which traps tiny water droplets in a magnetic field. These water droplets are smaller than poppy seeds. The computer, with its clock, is one of the best aquatic computer innovations.

The water-powered computer clock moves in a precise direction and distance according to the magnetic field. The clock works in a series of rotating or flipping motions. Each time the magnetic field flips, the polarity of the bars changes, and the droplet moves with binary 1s and 0s. The movement of the water synchronizes with the operation of the computer. The clock is responsible for various activities and it’s an important component of a water computer. Cool, isn’t it? Talking about “cool,” you might be interested in the 6 cool inventions to make your life easier.

About Manu Prakash and His Water Computer 

Manu Prakash, who has used aquatic computer technology for his invention, was born in Meerut, India. 15 years back, Manu Prakash conceived the idea of building a computer that runs on water. With assistance from his students, Jim Cybulski and Georgios Katsikis, he created a computer that runs on water. 

Manu Prakash is now a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University. Paperfuge and foldscope are a few of his other inventions.  A foldscope is a paper microscope that costs less than a dollar, and nearly a million people use it. The main aim of Manu Prakash is to touch billions of lives with his low-cost science tools. But his science tools are pretty useful. Would you like to know about the 5 pointless inventions that are ridiculously useless?

Manu Prakash

That’s all you need to know about Manu Prakash and his liquid-cooled computing. See if you can remember all the facts we have discussed on “liquid-cooled computing history” by answering the quiz on this page.

Read Next