Researchers Turn Classic Children's Toy Into Tiny Motor
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - 15:42
in Physics & Chemistry
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have miniaturized a children's toy into a tiny motor that could one day power medical devices or harvest solar energy. The device, called a radiometer, is based on a classical light-powered, rotating vane most often seen in mall novelty stores. But this radiometer is the world's smallest, with blades as thick as a human hair and a diameter about that of an eyeglass screw.