Youth researchYoung scientists honored
A robotic sparring partner for boxing training, the Internet of Things for the home or a camera that always shoots blur-free films thanks to motors and position sensors - the creativity of the young researchers at the 51st national finals knew no bounds. Now the winners have been announced.
The way a computer works can be explained in simple terms: In a microprocessor, tiny electrical currents are pushed back and forth, which then make up the computing power. However, there is another concept that should in principle be faster - computing with light. Existing prototypes are usually based on special materials that are quite expensive. Maximilian Oehmichen (16), Adrian Lenkeit (16) and Marvin Lohaus (17) therefore looked for an inexpensive alternative. They produced ingenious "metamaterials" - plastic plates to which they attached half-rings made of copper, for example. The young researchers illuminated these plates with microwaves and discovered that simple arithmetic operations can indeed be carried out with this structure.