MIT invents method to shrink objects to nanoscale

(CNN) Some say bigger is better, but researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will tell you that when it comes to tech, smaller things are far more impressive.

This month, MIT researchers announced they invented a way to shrink objects to nanoscale -- smaller than what you can see with a microscope -- using a laser. That means they can take any simple structure and reduce it to one 1,000th of its original size.

The miniaturizing technology, called "implosion fabrication," could be applied to anything from developing smaller microscope and cell phone lenses to creating tiny robots that improve everyday life.

"People have been trying to invent better equipment to make smaller nanomaterials for years," said neurotechnology professor Edward Boyden, the lead researcher, in a statement. "There are all kinds of things you can do with this."

It's a far cry from "Honey I Shrunk the Kids," but the new method has plenty of cool real-world uses. For example, scientists are exploring ways to add tiny robotic particles to cancer drugs that can seek out only the cancerous cells. And forget microchips -- MIT says this technology could be used to develop even smaller "nanochip" electronics.

TheRedGamer111 on December 18th, 2018 at 21:51 UTC »

So they make a model of an object using gel and then they use a laser to shrink the gel and have a material, like silver, and have the model shrink around it? The writer of this article wasn’t the best at explaining and I’m very interested to know how they’re actually doing this.

Edit: the use for this I’m guessing is they could hypothetically make all the components for say a processor for a computer, shrink them down, and then make a processor that’s extremely small but still functions the same way. I’m basing this off of this poorly written article and my high school education so I could be very wrong about all of this. Thanks for the Karma though

pirates-running-amok on December 18th, 2018 at 21:33 UTC »

It appears what they are doing isn't taking an existant item and shrinking it, rather they are using the gel to bring the components of an item together at the nanoscale level.

The gel is used at a larger size to place items into their respective positions.

Likely they are vaporizing the gel and as it implodes, brings the components together.

Edit: Double negative. Etc

GeneralTonic on December 18th, 2018 at 19:27 UTC »

Here's how it works: Using a laser, researchers make a structure with absorbent gel -- akin to writing with a pen in 3D. Then, they can attach any material -- metal, DNA, or tiny "quantum dot" particles -- to the structure. Finally, they shrink the structure to a miniscule size.

Here's how this writer would compose instructions for baking a pie:

Using their hands, the baker gathers ingredients from the cabinets--akin to collecting Pokemon. Then, the baker can arrange the ingredients into the shape of a pie--or any other foodstuff. Finally, they bake a pie.

Not very helpful.