Tiny Hair-Fitting Motors Powered by Light Successfully Developed by Scientists
Groundbreaking On-Chip Motor Shatters Size Barrier, Paving the Way for Future Medical News
In a revolutionary development, scientists at the University of Gothenburg have unveiled the smallest on-chip motor ever created. This microscopic marvel, smaller than a human cell, could transform the field of micro-engineering and pave the way for future medical news.
For over three decades, engineers have been striving to create smaller gears for micro-engines, but progress had stagnated at a size of 0.1 millimeters. This barrier has now been shattered, thanks to a team led by Prof. Dr. Oliver G. at the Research Center MAIN of TU Chemnitz.
The new development bypasses the conventional mechanics problem by utilizing laser light for gear motion. The gears spin by shining a laser on the metamaterial, a tiny, patterned structure designed to capture and control light on a nanoscale.
The motor, dubbed the smallest motor developed on a chip in history, was published in the journal Nature Communications. The study's first author, Gan Wang, is a researcher in soft matter physics at the University of Gothenburg.
The control over these tiny gears is both precise and intuitive. The laser light's intensity dictates the gear wheel's speed, and its rotation direction can be instantly altered by changing the light's polarization. This contactless method of control eliminates the need for any physical connections to the motor, making it highly scalable.
Gan Wang envisions using the new micromotors as pumps or valves within the human body to regulate various flows. With a size that allows it to fit inside a strand of hair, this motor could open up a new realm of possibilities in medical technology.
The motor's operation relies on advanced material science. The team manufactured silicon gears with a special optical metamaterial directly onto a microchip. This invention marks a fundamentally new approach to mechanics on a microscale.
The motor prototype was announced in a press release dated September 18. This breakthrough is poised to reshape the landscape of micro-engineering and could usher in a new era of miniature medical news.
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