Researchers from Australia have designed a new type of qubit — the building blocks of quantum computers, and the equivalent of bytes used for computers today — that could finally lead to the development of a large-scale quantum computer. Current methods for generating qubits use standard tools, such as ion traps and optical tweezers, that allow an atom's quantum states to be analysed, or use circuits made from superconducting materials to detect quantum superpositions. Although there are advantages to these kinds of systems for producing a relatively small number of qubits, when you're looking at generating hundreds or thousands of them linked into a computer, the scale becomes quickly unfeasible. To overcome these constraints, researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia coded information in both the nucleus and electron of an atom, where the qubit's value is determined by combinations of a binary property called spin — if the spin is 'up' for an electron while 'down' for the nucleus, the qubit represents an overall value of 1, 0 if this is reversed, and the superposition of the spin-states to be used in quantum operations. To find out more check out Flip-flop qubits: radical new quantum computing design invented.