5 ms·

A brief history of liquid computers (2019)

33 points by jsnell 5y ago

rland 5y ago
> They do not need an electricity or any other artificial power source and can work just under gravity. This makes liquid computers invincible to electro-magnetic fields and fault tolerant (this is why some components from fluidic logic devices from the 1960s are still used in nuclear reactor control systems [187–189] and fighter jets [190–192]). This was interesting. I really thought these things were just a relic.
- Taniwha 5y ago
  Because "gravity" is such a reliable thing in a fighter jet?
userbinator 5y ago
It's worth noting a large portion of cars from the late 40s into the early 90s also have a "liquid computer": the hydraulic relay logic controlled automatic transmission.
ethbr0 5y ago
It's come up on here before, but re-link to the 200-acre Mississippi River Basin Model: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River_Basin_Model https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River_Basin_Mode... Not exactly a "computer", but certainly computing something that was far beyond the ability of 1950s electronic computation systems to calculate. IMHO, a great example of solving a problem any way you can, without limiting yourself to technological advances.
tricky 5y ago
My favorite liquid computer is the Bosch Continuous Injection System (CIS) which is a fully mechanical fuel injection system for internal combustion engines. It is able to compute the fuel maps for my old porsche in any kind of weather at any altitude. It is a K-Jetronic (1973–1994) version which means there is no computer at all. The only electrical part is a few bi-electric strips that are used to run the engine rich until it gets up to temperature. I truly amazing system but when a little piece of dirt gets in the wrong place or a pressure if off by a few bar it falls flat on its face and strands you. fun times.
copperwater69 5y ago
There was a neat liquid computer called the MONIAC used to model the national economic processes of the UK. Here's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAZavOcEnLg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAZavOcEnLg Edit: Oh it was mentioned in the paper!
- tweetle_beetle 5y ago
  Thank you! I'd heard about it on a radio programme many years ago and had always wondered what it looked like, but somehow never enough to do something about it.
dls2016 5y ago
Terence Tao published an idea that one could maybe prove ill posedness of the Navier Stokes equations by modeling a liquid computer… build a machine that focuses energy in such a way that the solution jumps out of a particular function space at a desired point in time. https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-fluid-new-path-in-grand-math-challenge-20140224/ https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-fluid-new-path-in-grand-mat...
deleted 5y ago
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33 points by jsnell 5y ago

> They do not need an electricity or any other artificial power source and can work just under gravity. This makes liquid computers invincible to electro-magnetic fields and fault tolerant (this is why some components from fluidic logic devices from the 1960s are still used in nuclear reactor control systems [187–189] and fighter jets [190–192]). This was interesting. I really thought these things were just a relic.

Taniwha 5y ago
Because "gravity" is such a reliable thing in a fighter jet?

userbinator 5y ago

It's worth noting a large portion of cars from the late 40s into the early 90s also have a "liquid computer": the hydraulic relay logic controlled automatic transmission.

ethbr0 5y ago

It's come up on here before, but re-link to the 200-acre Mississippi River Basin Model: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River_Basin_Model https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River_Basin_Mode... Not exactly a "computer", but certainly computing something that was far beyond the ability of 1950s electronic computation systems to calculate. IMHO, a great example of solving a problem any way you can, without limiting yourself to technological advances.

tricky 5y ago

My favorite liquid computer is the Bosch Continuous Injection System (CIS) which is a fully mechanical fuel injection system for internal combustion engines. It is able to compute the fuel maps for my old porsche in any kind of weather at any altitude. It is a K-Jetronic (1973–1994) version which means there is no computer at all. The only electrical part is a few bi-electric strips that are used to run the engine rich until it gets up to temperature. I truly amazing system but when a little piece of dirt gets in the wrong place or a pressure if off by a few bar it falls flat on its face and strands you. fun times.

copperwater69 5y ago

There was a neat liquid computer called the MONIAC used to model the national economic processes of the UK. Here's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAZavOcEnLg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAZavOcEnLg Edit: Oh it was mentioned in the paper!

tweetle_beetle 5y ago
Thank you! I'd heard about it on a radio programme many years ago and had always wondered what it looked like, but somehow never enough to do something about it.

dls2016 5y ago

Terence Tao published an idea that one could maybe prove ill posedness of the Navier Stokes equations by modeling a liquid computer… build a machine that focuses energy in such a way that the solution jumps out of a particular function space at a desired point in time. https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-fluid-new-path-in-grand-math-challenge-20140224/ https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-fluid-new-path-in-grand-mat...

deleted 5y ago

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