Description:

One of the greatest challenges facing engineers who design tiny microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is finding ways to power machines that often measure only microns across. Toward solving this problem, researchers at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences have built resin-based structures that operate on principles similar to those that propel windmills. Instead of extracting energy from wind, however, these devices are driven by beams of light.

The various shapes of rotors are made by curing resin with focused laser light. A very promising structure resembles a common lawn sprinkler.  This rotor spins at several revolutions per second when illuminated by a 20 milliwatt laser beam. In addition to providing torque to miniature gears, pumps, and other micro-machines, the light-powered rotors could be used to measure fluid properties on micrometer scales.

Alternatively, it may be possible to study the mechanical properties of certain molecules, such as proteins or DNA, by fixing one end to a surface, attaching a rotor to the other end, and using light to apply a twisting force.
 

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