Back
28· Cooling
Health & Science3h 26m ago
The world's smallest motor is so minuscule that it requires the use of a special kind of microscope called the scanning tunneling microscope, which is capable of making out a single atom.
Archive Window: 7 Days Left
Tufts University
Who
team from Tufts University
What
The world's smallest motor is so minuscule that it requires the use of a special kind of microscope called the scanning tunneling microscope, which is capable of making out a single atom.
When
Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:45:00 GMT · 3h 26m ago
Where
Tufts University ·
Why
The tiny motor, a molecule of butyl methyl sulphide, was selected because its lopsidedness helps it spin.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This record-holding single-molecule motor, developed in 2011 and measuring 1 nanometer, could potentially be used in medical devices to improve liquid flow or form small mechanical parts in electronics, despite needing extremely cold temperatures to operate effectively.
Story chain
2 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 26m agoThe world's smallest electric motor, a single-molecule motor, which still holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest electric motor today, was developed by a team from Tufts University in September 2011.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 26m agoThe world's smallest motor is so minuscule that it requires the use of a special kind of microscope called the scanning tunneling microscope, which is capable of making out a single atom.