From Diana J. Choyce
Feb 21 - 27, 2000
It may bring about a world of changes from science research to
everyday chores
The old adage "bigger is better" has fallen by the wayside as
new technologies prove it to be passe. From tiny CPU chips to shirt pocket cell phones,
machines are simply getting smaller. And the smallest of these are the new nano machines.
Nano technology has come a very long way in the last few years and these tiny giants may
bring about a world of changes from science research to everyday chores. The possible
applications of nano machines are varied and seemingly endless. In the medical field they
could travel the human bloodstream, seek out and dissipate blood clots and clogged
arteries. And then simply shut down and be eliminated when their work is through. Or they
can be used to give sight to the blind through miniaturized sensors, which is already
being researched and used in human trials. And in the computer field? A thinking, feeling
machine that can anticipate your every need.
Ironically, a small New England university is at the forefront of this
tiny technology. Worcester Polytechnic Institute and their Centre for Holographic Studies
and Laser Micro-MechaTronics are studying machines so small, a microscope is needed just
to see them. "What we are primarily specializing in is test measurement and
optimization," says Dr. Ryszard J. Pryputniewicz who directs the project. "We
seem to be the only people in the country, and the world, who can work at this
level." MIT and the University of California also work in the same field but are
using different approaches. "They have parts of what we have, and do an outstanding
job, but we work with data in the full field of view," said Dr. P. Unlike other
research efforts, WPI laboratories measure speed, deformation and a variety of
characteristics of nano machines in real time. These machines have gears no bigger than a
grain of pollen and can be
produced cheaply, in batches of tens of thousands at a time. And they
are made from silicon, the same substance used by computer chips. "They are made on
wafers (about the size of a vinyl long-playing record) and many, many of them can be made
at the same time," said Dr. P. "Eventually you will have an entire laboratory on
a chip. It will be able to measure position, velocity, acceleration, elevation,
orientation, chemistry, whether something is environmentally safe or not... and you will
be able to fine tune and control these processes. That's the goal."
WPI is working with industry and national laboratories such as Sandia
in developing these tiny miracles. Sandia calls its project Micro Electro Mechanical
Systems or MEMS, and is a recognized leader in the field. Their vision is a new silicon
revolution which will enable chips to not only think, sense, and act, but communicate as
well. They believe the market for these "intelligent" micromachine enhanced
systems could well reach 100 billion a year. There are about 600 organizations working in
the field, with 150 worldwide companies that are looking to find commercial market
applications. Early uses include hydraulic-pressure sensors for aircraft flight-control
systems that were developed by Honeywell in the 1960's. By the 1980 automakers began
making similar sensors to monitor engine intake-manifold pressure in fuel-injected cars.
Other applications were inkjet printer heads, and catheter devices for measuring blood
pressure in surgical patients.
The real change took place in the mid 1980's when a production
technique called surface micromachining was introduced. The method involves stacking
layers of patterned and etched silicon structural material, which is acid-resistant, and
alternating them with layers of a "sacrificial" silicon dioxide material that is
dissolved away by hydrofluoric acid to create spaces between moving parts. What's left are
tiny mechanisms that require no assembly, including gears that spin around hubs. This
technique has promoted a leap in technology that is bound only by creativity. One use is
tiny MEMS accelerometers that have drastically cut the cost of airbag controls. Another
use is a device called Back Talk, made by Bio Kinetics Corp. of San Antonio. Designed to
reduce the risk of workplace back injuries, the pager-sized gadget clips on the user's
belt and issues an audio or vibrating alarm when he or she makes an ergonomically unsound
move, such as lifting from the waist instead of from the knees. Texas Instruments in
Dallas has developed a product exclusively devoted to producing its digital light
processors (DLPs), which are MEMS chips packed with micromirrors. These chips are used in
projection systems. A prototype of a DLP cinema projector, built by Digital Projection
Ltd. of Atlanta, was recently demonstrated, which raises the prospect of commercial
theaters switching from expensive film prints to movies delivered in electronic form. This
advance could change the way we all watch TV and movies. And it is right in line with the
new broadband developments on the internet in streaming video.
One can imagine that this technology is a wide open field. The future
of applications and uses is secure because they will only be bound by our imagination and
creativity. And we have been treading this path for decades. From massive gas hog cars to
the small fuel efficient ones we know today. From computers that took up whole rooms to
ones we can carry in our pockets. The move to nano technology was inevitable, and its time
appears to be here and now.
