Reconfigurable logic and neuromorphic devices are crucial for the development of high-performance computing. However, creating reconfigurable devices based on conventional complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technology is challenging due to the limited field-effect characteristics of the fundamental silicon devices. Here we show that a homojunction device made from two-dimensional tungsten diselenide

Magnetic skyrmions are topological spin textures that could be used to create magnetic memory and logic devices. Such devices typically rely on current-controlled motion of skyrmions, but using skyrmions that are fixed in space could lead to more compact and energy-efficient devices. Here we report the manipulation of fixed magnetic skyrmions using voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy. We show that

Signed languages are not as pervasive a conversational medium as spoken languages due to the history of institutional suppression of the former and the linguistic hegemony of the latter. This has led to a communication barrier between signers and non-signers that could be mitigated by technology-mediated approaches. Here, we show that a wearable sign-to-speech translation system, assisted by machine

Driverless cars are improving, but is the public ready to accept them?

Electro-optic transmitters with high bandwidth can be created by monolithically integrating bipolar CMOS electronics with plasmonics.

Modern cars have an array of sensors that allow different objects to be recognized, including large and small animals. They thus have the potential to become a tool for monitoring biodiversity and improving driver safety. But to achieve this various challenges in computing, communications and privacy need to be addressed.

The adoption of autonomous vehicles will depend on the public’s trust in the technology. To establish such trust, it is important to understand the actions of different road users, and their reactions to the vehicles.

A fibre with liquid-metal core and soft outer shell can be woven into textiles and used to sense multiple compression and stretching events simultaneously.

Conventional wide-field-of-view cameras consist of multi-lens optics and flat image sensor arrays, which makes them bulky and heavy. As a result, they are poorly suited to advanced mobile applications such as drones and autonomous vehicles. In nature, the eyes of aquatic animals consist of a single spherical lens and a highly sensitive hemispherical retina, an approach that could be beneficial in the

The rapid growth in the amount of data being transferred within data centres, combined with the slowdown in Moore’s Law, creates challenges for the future scalability of electronically switched data-centre networks. Optical switches could offer a future-proof alternative, and photonic integration platforms have been demonstrated with nanosecond-scale optical switching times. End-to-end switching time

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Electrical control of magnetism in van der Waals ferromagnetic semiconductors is an important step in creating novel spintronic devices, capable of processing and storing information, with these materials. For practical devices, electrical control at or near room temperature is sought, but most layered ferromagnetic semiconductors exhibit Curie temperatures below 100 K. Here, we show that electrostatic

Magnetoresistance effects are used in a variety of devices including hard disk drives and magnetic random access memories. In particular, giant magnetoresistance and tunnelling magnetoresistance can be used to create spin valves and tunnel junctions in which the resistance depends on the relative magnetization orientations of two ferromagnetic conducting layers. Here, we report a magnetoresistance

Gesture recognition using machine-learning methods is valuable in the development of advanced cybernetics, robotics and healthcare systems, and typically relies on images or videos. To improve recognition accuracy, such visual data can be combined with data from other sensors, but this approach, which is termed data fusion, is limited by the quality of the sensor data and the incompatibility of the

Hyperdimensional computing is an emerging computational framework that takes inspiration from attributes of neuronal circuits including hyperdimensionality, fully distributed holographic representation and (pseudo)randomness. When employed for machine learning tasks, such as learning and classification, the framework involves manipulation and comparison of large patterns within memory. A key attribute

Mechanical sensing is a key functionality in soft electronics intended for applications in health monitoring, human–machine interactions and soft robotics. Current methods typically use intricate networks of sensors specific to one type of deformation and one point in space, which limits their sensing capabilities. An alternative approach to distributed sensing is electrical reflectometry, but it is

Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNFETs) are a promising nanotechnology for the development of energy-efficient computing. Despite rapid progress, CNFETs have only been fabricated in academic or research laboratories. A critical challenge in transferring this technology to commercial manufacturing facilities is developing a suitable method for depositing nanotubes uniformly over industry-standard

To address the challenge of increasing data rates, next-generation optical communication networks will require the co-integration of electronics and photonics. Heterogeneous integration of these technologies has shown promise, but will eventually become bandwidth-limited. Faster monolithic approaches will therefore be needed, but monolithic approaches using complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS)

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has a large bandgap, high phonon energies and an atomically smooth surface absent of dangling bonds. As a result, it has been widely used as a dielectric to investigate electron physics in two-dimensional heterostructures and as a dielectric in the fabrication of two-dimensional transistors and optoelectronic devices. Here we show that hBN can be used to create analogue

Neuromorphic architectures merge learning and memory functions within a single unit cell and in a neuron-like fashion. Research in the field has been mainly focused on the plasticity of artificial synapses. However, the intrinsic plasticity of the neuronal membrane is also important in the implementation of neuromorphic information processing. Here we report a neurotransistor made from a silicon nanowire

Advanced semiconductor technologies are helping to find new ways to create components capable of one-way transmission.

Frequency multiplication is essential in wireless communication systems, where stable high-frequency oscillations are required. However, multipliers typically employ power- and area-hungry filtering and amplification circuits. Here, we show that a single ferroelectric field-effect transistor, made from ferroelectric hafnium oxide, can be used as a full-wave rectifier and frequency doubler. This is

Acoustic waves are versatile on-chip information carriers that can be used in applications such as microwave filters and transducers. Nonreciprocal devices, in which the transmission of waves is non-symmetric between two ports, are desirable for the manipulation and routing of phonons, but building acoustic non-reciprocal devices is difficult because acoustic systems typically have a linear response

An impedance measurement technique based on dielectric excitation in oxide semiconductors can provide a highly linear sensing signal over a wide range of gas concentrations.

Non-linear ferroelectric tunnel junctions could be used to create low-power in-memory computing systems.

Semiconducting metal oxides are widely used for gas sensors. The resulting chemiresistor devices, however, suffer from non-linear responses, signal fluctuations and gas cross-sensitivities, which limits their use in demanding applications of air-quality monitoring. Here, we show that conventional semiconducting metal oxide materials can provide high-performance sensors using an impedance measurement

Analogue in-memory computing using memristors could alleviate the performance constraints imposed by digital von Neumann systems in data-intensive tasks. Conventional linear memristors typically operate at high currents, potentially limiting power efficiency and scalability in practical applications. Here, we show that nonlinear ferroelectric tunnel junction memristors can perform linear computation

In general, reciprocity requires that signals travel in the same manner in both forward and reverse directions. It governs the behaviour of the majority of electronic circuits and components, imposing severe restrictions on how they operate. Components that violate reciprocity, such as gyrators, isolators and circulators, are, however, of use in many different electronic applications. Non-reciprocal

Does smartphone surveillance have a role to play in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic?