A group of researchers built the smallest house in the world to demonstrate the efficiency of a new technology that would change the face of robotics. The House built by the nano-factory. (All images via FEMTO-ST's Published Journal)
The tiny house movement is redesigning the face of the Real Estate industry across the world. Even though tiny living started as far back as the cavemen, the tiny house movement as known today really picked up in the 80s and 90s. The 2009 crisis was probably also a catalyst in the growth of the movement. Now, despite all the benefits of that lifestyle, nobody would have predicted that it could influence the robotics industry.
A team of scientists from the French Institute FEMTO-ST created the tiniest house to date with the help of nanotech and robotics tools. The nano-house is definitely not meant for human’s life and is said to be the result of a test to prove that the new discoveries in optical sensing tech could be instrumental in manipulating electron beams, ion guns, and certain types of robots. The scientists used a technology they designed themselves and named µRobotex Nano-factory which will allow them to build minuscule structures inside a spacious vacuum chamber using mini-robots.
With the nano-factory, scientists will be able to work on optical fibers even if they are measured in nanometers. To be precise, the nano-factory has an accuracy of 2 nanometers. To build the house, scientists used an ion-gun inside a 300 micrometers by 300 micrometers area. The nano-factory cut a layer of silica which it placed at the extremity of an optical fiber as wide as a strand of human hair. The next step in the construction is to use an ion-beam to cut the pieces that will serve as walls for the house. The precision in the details on the house demonstrates clearly the efficiency of the nano-factory.
Published in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, the report on this research retraced the different stages of building miniature structures. At the beginning of their exploration, the research team didn’t have access to robots that could put construct nano-sized objects. But, with the advances in sensing elements, the researchers were able to use fiber tips to manipulate miniaturized components.
Similar to how the tiny houses allow people to live minimally and focus their resources on what matters the most to them, the nano- house is a demonstration of how scientists now have resources to explore and improve technology in areas that were hard to reach such as jet engines or the tiny vessels in the human body. The µRobotex Nano-factory is considered by many a revolution in the fields of robotics and optical, and its applications seem limitless.
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