The nanomorphic cell is a conception of an atomic-level, integrated, self-sustaining

microsystem A microsystem is a self-contained subsystem located within a larger system. It generally constitutes the smallest unit of analysis in systems theory. Ecological systems theory Urie Bronfenbrenner uses the term in his ecological systems theory Ec ...

with five main functions: internal energy supply, sensing, actuation, computation and communication. Atomic level integration provides the ultimate functionality per unit volume for microsystems. The nanomorphic cell abstraction allows one to analyze the fundamental limits of attainable performance for

nanoscale The nanoscopic scale (or nanoscale) usually refers to structures with a length scale applicable to nanotechnology, usually cited as 1–100 nanometers (nm). A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The nanoscopic scale is (roughly speaking) a lo ...

systems in much the same way that the Turing Machine and the Carnot Engine support such limit studies for information processing and heat engines respectively. The nanomorphic cell concept is inspired by the trend, synergistic with semiconductor device scaling; to use these core technologies for diverse integrated system applications. This trend is called Functional Diversification and is characterized by the integration of non-

CMOS Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS, pronounced "sea-moss", ) is a type of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) fabrication process that uses complementary and symmetrical pairs of p-type and n-type MOSFE ...

devices such as

sensors A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...

actuator An actuator is a component of a machine that is responsible for moving and controlling a mechanism or system, for example by opening a valve. In simple terms, it is a "mover". An actuator requires a control device (controlled by control signal) a ...

s, energy sources etc. with traditional CMOS and other novel information processing devices. The multifunctional microsystems becomes morphic (literally means ''in the shape of'' ) because its architecture are defined by the specific application and the fundamental limits on volumetric system parameters. The nanomorphic cell model was applied to analyze the capabilities of an autonomous integrated microsystem on the order of the size of a living cell, i.e. a cube of 10 micrometer on a side

, 2 The comma is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark () in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline ...

The function of this microsystem is, for example, upon injection into the body, to interact with living cells, e.g. determine the state of the cell and to support certain “therapeutic” action. It must have the capability to collect data on the living cell, analyze the data, and make a decision on the state of the living cell. It must also communicate with an external controlling agent, and possibly, take corrective action. Such a cell would need its own energy sources, sensors, computers, and communication devices, integrated into a complete system whose structure is dictated by the intended nanomorphic cell function. The Nanomorphic Cell can be considered as an extreme example of a class of systems known generically as Autonomous Microsystems, for example

WIMS WIMS is an AM radio, AM Station broadcasting on 1420 kHz in Michigan City, Indiana, and serves the northwest Indiana listening area. Its format is primarily classic hits music, news, talk and sports. The station is currently owned by Gerard ...

(Wireless Integrated Microsystems), PicoNode, Lab-on-a-Pill and

Smartdust Smartdust is a system of many tiny microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) such as sensors, robots, or other devices, that can detect, for example, light, temperature, vibration, magnetism, or chemicals. They are usually operated on a computer netw ...

References

{{Reflist Microtechnology Nanotechnology