Spin Seebeck Effect Could Mean New Batteries, Storage Options

Ah, the marvels of science. Researchers at Keio University in Yokohama, Japan have happened upon something called the "spin Seebeck effect" which would mean big changes for our technological devices. Now, we're still miles away from any product implementation here, but this is big news for what could be coming in the future. 

This research indicates that heating up a magnetized nickel-iron rod on one side makes it so the electrons rearrange within the material based on how they spin. You can think of this as in bar magnets and the south-north magnetic axes.

This means that information transferring could be done by means of "flipping spins" rather than by means of an electric current. This is big news! The "spins" don't generate heat so any device that would eventually carry this technology could run at a higher speed and in turn, lower consumption.

[via Engadget]