Using light to drive nanomachines.
Photonic Circuit, Nanomechanics inset
If anyone has read Diamond Age, then they know of the possibilities associated with nanomachines. They will be able to cure diseases by entering your body, kill people by entering their body, automatically construct whatever is needed(perhaps more nanomachines), and many more things. But first, there is the large task of determining just how to make these things. Specifically, powering them is a challenge.
The relationship between Nanophotonics and Nanomechanics is explored in the November 27 issue of Nature:
“While the force of light is far too weak for us to feel in everyday life, we have found that it can be harnessed and used at the nanoscale,” said team leader Hong Tang, assistant professor at Yale. “Our work demonstrates the advantage of using nano-objects as “targets” for the force of light — using devices that are a billion-billion times smaller than a space sail, and that match the size of today’s typical transistors.”
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 at 11:36 am and is filed under Atomic, Molecular, and Optical. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
