In many fields of technology, smaller is better, and machinery is now getting so tiny it’s measured in mere atoms. Researchers at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg (FAU) in Germany have now developed what they claim are the world’s smallest working gear wheels.
Molecular machines and nanorobots could be extremely useful in the coming decades, helping to construct electronic components, transport drugs through the body, or manipulate individual cells or molecules.
To that end, scientists have developed nanoscale versions of many machine parts, such as motors, pistons, pumps, wrenches and propellers.
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