IBM’s new ‘SQUIDS’ have varied potential uses.

The company announced a working device that uses a new class of superconducting material. The devices, known as SQUIDs, could be used for tasks such as detecting brain waves, exploring for oil and conducting basic scientific research, IBM said. They contain special kinds of semiconductors treated with the superconducting material that can detect minute magnetic fields. The SQUIDS, short for Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices, are the first devices using thin films of the new material, which operate at temperatures high enough to be of practical use, the company said.