  This article aims to review the developments, both theoretical and
experimental, that have in the past decade laid the ground for a new approach
to solid state quantum computing. Measurement-based quantum computing (MBQC)
requires neither direct interaction between qubits nor even what would be
considered controlled generation of entanglement. Rather it can be achieved
using entanglement that is generated probabilistically by the collapse of
quantum states upon measurement. Single electronic spins in solids make
suitable qubits for such an approach, offering long coherence times and well
defined routes to optical measurement. We will review the theoretical basis of
MBQC and experimental data for two frontrunner candidate qubits --
nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond and semiconductor quantum dots -- and
discuss the prospects and challenges that lie ahead in realising MBQC in the
solid state.
