This tiny figurine is no larger than a red blood cell.  The "micro-bull" measures 10 micrometers long by seven micrometers high.  It was constructed from plastic resin by two infra-red laser beams tracing its outlines, solidifying the resin only at the focus point of the lasers.  A computer controlled the lasers to create the shape with pinpoint accuracy.

Professor Satoshi Kawata, who led the team at Osaka University, said: "You only get polymerization at the position of interest. The result is that you can fabricate real 3D structures rather than two dimensional layer patterns, as in traditional lithography.  "One possible application of the technology could be in the construction of tiny machines to deliver drugs inside the body.  "It could be used to make micromachines small enough to run inside blood vessels," said Prof Kawata.