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University of Gothenburg Researchers Develop Smallest On-Chip Motor in History, Powered by Laser Light and with Microscopic Size.
Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have created something that looks like it came out of science fiction: the smallest on-chip motor in history. The announcement surprised the scientific community because this motor is so small it fits inside a human hair. The invention breaks a barrier that has blocked the advancement of micromachines for decades.
Gears are found in almost everything, from clocks to wind turbines. Engineers have always attempted to create smaller versions to keep up with the miniaturization of modern machines. However, for over 30 years, this progress has been stuck at 0.1 millimeters.
The problem lay in the difficulty of building functional mechanical power trains at smaller sizes.
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Now, that obstacle has been overcome. The Swedish team found an unexpected solution: they abandoned traditional mechanics and started using light to move the gears.
Gears Controlled by Beams of Light
The secret of the new micromotor lies in material science. Researchers manufactured silicon gears with a special optical metamaterial directly on a microchip. These tiny structures capture and control light on a nanoscale.
When a laser beam hits the metamaterial, the gears begin to rotate. The control is extremely precise and intuitive. The light intensity adjusts the speed of the gear, while the polarization of the beam instantaneously changes its direction of rotation.
This form of contactless control eliminates any need for physical attachment to the motor. This makes it more scalable than any previous attempt.
Gan Wang, the lead author of the study, explained the technological leap: “This is a fundamentally new way of thinking about micro-scale mechanics. By replacing bulky couplings with lightweight ones, we can finally overcome the size barrier.”
He also mentioned that the team constructed a set of gears in which a light-driven piece activates the entire chain. They can also convert rotation into linear motion, perform periodic movements, and even control microscopic mirrors to reflect light.
Open Path for Medical Applications
This technology could change the way scientists design tiny machines to work in biological environments.
The researchers envision micromotors capable of manipulating particles, controlling light, or operating within advanced laboratory systems on a chip. They plan to further reduce the size of the gears to just 16 to 20 micrometers — approximately the size of a human cell.
Such small machines could act as pumps or valves within the human body. They could regulate specific flows of liquids and substances, something impossible with current technology.
“We can use the new micromotors as pumps within the human body, for example, to regulate various flows. I’m also studying how they function as valves that open and close,” Wang stated.
For now, the motor exists only as a prototype. Practical application in real machines may still take a few years, but the advancement has already made history in science.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
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