A focused ion beam created this two-micron-wide gear, seen here at 50,000x magnification.
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by Courtesy Sandia National Laboratories/SUMMiT Technologies
Courtesy Sandia National Laboratories/SUMMiT Technologies
This chain of six microscopic gears can be used to drive micro-engines at speeds of up to 25,000 rpm. Longer chains can also be used in complex electronic locking mechanisms that are practically unpickable—each gear has to be precisely aligned in order to activate an electronic switch.
Unexplained jitters when tackling easy tap-ins have befallen even the most legendary pros. Now, a group of scientists hopes to reveal which sections of the brain are responsible for choking