Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have made light-powered gears on a micrometer scale. This paves the way for the smallest on-chip motors in history, which can fit inside a strand of hair.

A mind-bogglingly small new motor can fit inside a strand of hair. Its cell-sized gears are powered by light and could be used as pumps inside the human body. Researchers at the University of ...

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have made light-powered gears on a micrometer scale. This paves the way for the smallest on-chip motors in history, which can fit inside a strand of hair.

"We have built a gear train in which a light-driven gear sets the entire chain in motion. The gears can also convert rotation into linear motion, perform periodic movements and control microscopic ...