Researchers at MIT have developed an ultra-broadband radio chip that's faster than any existing RF spectrum analyzer, while consuming 100 times less power. The RF Cochlea mimics the neural signal processing of the human cochlea, which uses fluid mechanics, piezoelectrics and neural signal processing to convert sound waves into electrical signals which travel to the brain. "The more I started to look at the ear," said Rahul Sarpeshkar, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, "the more I realized it's like a super radio with 3,500 parallel channels." The team has recently filed for a patent to incorporate the chip in a universal or software radio archit
