A team of Stanford University researchers has come up with an idea that could truly revolutionize the way we use technology. According to a report from ReliaWire, bioengineering assistant professor Manu Prakash and his team have devised plans for a computer that employs universal droplet logic and control to power computers.

While the droplet computer would run slower than a standard PC, it is revolutionary in that it would only require water to operate. The idea came to Prakash as a graduate student, and he has spent almost ten years drawing up the plans for the machine. It works by manipulating droplet fluid dynamics alongside an operating clock, one of the most basic principles of computer science.

According to Prakesh, “We already have digital computers to process information. Our goal is not to compete with electronic computers or to operate word processors on this. Our goal is to build a completely new class of computers that can precisely control and manipulate physical matter. Imagine if when you run a set of computations that not only information is processed but physical matter is algorithmically manipulated as well. We have just made this possible on the mesoscale.”

This technology could have a wide range of applications in the fields of biology, chemistry, and scalable digital manufacturing. Prakesh plans to make the plans for the droplet circuits public, so that other engineers are able to weigh in on the design and advance the concept.

The new design marks one of the first times in history that scientists have been able to physically manipulate matter at a scale of 10 microns to one millimeter. The chips in the computer are no larger than a postage stamp, and the droplets barely outsize a poppy seed. Study author Georgios Katsikis suggests that the physics behind the system will allow components to be made even smaller in the near future.

You can check out the amazing new computer here.