The University of São Paulo (USP) has developed a microcomputer, the size of a coin, called “flea”.
Although they are not yet used on a large scale, professors at the University believe that the technology will soon be available, helping to connect machines and people.
“They are computers the size of a subway ticket, or, in some cases, computers the size of a dime,” explained professor Marcelo Zuffo, from the Interdisciplinary Center for Interactive Technologies (CITI).
The microcomputer was given the name “flea”.
“A man’s best companion is a dog, and we believe that computers will follow suit. There is a worldwide movement today called the ‘Internet of Things,’ and computers have to be very small because you can put them in your earring, your shoe, or your shirt button. We are making a huge effort in engineering design, using what we call microelectronics, so that these computers will have the granularity of dust,” said Professor Zuffo.
For now, these microcomputers are not used on a large scale, but they are already being tested by some of the university's partner companies.
USP pioneer in technologies
The Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo is one of the innovators and pioneers in the field of computer development. In the past, it was responsible for the creation of one of the first machines in Brazil, the “Ugly Duckling”. Considered the first Brazilian microcomputer.
In the 1980s, when it was developed, there was a kind of technological dispute between USP and Unicamp, which at the time was also already developing a computer.
“They said that the computer they were going to make was called ‘Cisne Branco’. So, we took the hint and said: ‘look, we already have one ready and it’s called ‘Patinho Feio’ (Ugly Duckling) which will one day turn into a white swan’. And that’s how the name came about. It’s an arithmetic logic unit that does the math and logical operations. And the programs and data are stored in a memory”, said Edith Ranzini, engineer and professor at Poli-USP.