SCIENTISTS in Singapore have earned a place in the record books after creating the world's smallest workable gear.
The molecule-size device is up to 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair and could pave the way for new technologies. The invention will receive a mention in Guinness World Records' next edition.
It is developed by a seven-man team from the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, which is part of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).
The scientists used a machine called a scanning tunnelling microscope, more commonly used to view materials at an atomic level. They took advantage of an electrical connection between the molecules and the tip of the microscope to manipulate the gear.
Their research was first published in science journal Nature Materials in 2009. Project leader Christian Joachim, an A*Star visiting investigator from French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, had said then: 'Making a gear the size of a few atoms is one thing, but being able to deliberately control its motions and actions is something else altogether.'
So far, the device has not been used to develop any products as the next largest gear is too big for it. Research is ongoing to create intermediate gears.
The scientists believe their discovery has the potential to be used in supercomputers. One of the most advanced now is the size of a refrigerator.
The team is also part of a group trying to create a computer chip 1,000 times smaller than a grain of sand. This project, worth €10 million (S$17 million), is a collaboration between the institute and scientists from the European Union.
Computer chips are currently made by using optical beams to etch grooves on their parts. Experts say the chips can shrink for only another 10 to 15 years before the width of the beam prevents any further miniaturisation.
To solve this problem, the group aims to build a chip from the atom up instead. They hope to create a prototype by 2015.
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