Flies Staying Fly With Microengineering

Image courtesy Micreon (click to enlarge)

In 1966, Hollywood envisioned a future world where a submarine and its crew could be miniaturized and injected into an ailing Russian scientist to repair a blood clot in his brain. Although the actual future reality of Fantastic Voyage has yet to be realized, the fields of micro- and nano-engineering are expanding rapidly—giving us 50-megahertz computer circuits built onto single carbon nanotube molecules, artificial red blood cells and tiny eyeglasses for houseflies. Wait, what?

It’s true. A German micromachining firm (no, not those Micro Machines) created the stylin’ two-millimeter shades—complete with a tiny engraved mu symbol on the bridge piece—to demonstrate its precise laser-fabrication abilities. More, ahem, practical applications of this technology could lead to ever-tinier computer processors and microscopic biomedical devices. While humans continue to wait for more miraculous scientific developments in microtechnology, near-sighted and style-concious houseflies everywhere can celebrate now. —John Mahoney

Link (via National Geographic).