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Generating Nano Oscillatory Motion
KentuckyFC sends us to arxivblog.com, where he summarizes (in prose that is somewhat more twee than we usually encounter in writing about physics) the conversion of a constant force into oscillatory motion on the nano scale. Here is the article preprint. A research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has made mushroom-shaped nano-pillars that oscillate in a constant DC field, like metronomes.
Wasn't it cool when science gave us things like electricity and airplanes and phones? Lately, it seems we get more and more of this "we can make really small shit move" stuff.
How the fuck are we supposed to make the average USian understand what this is good for? Hell, I hardly understand what this is good for and I read science and engineering shit all the time.
If they only need a constant field, could they power the device with gravity? Even if this is a "no", it would be cool to have nano machines inside you that were powered when a Doc used a "magic wand" to power the little buggers. Program them to repair a wound and, when injured, they'd be attracted to the Doc holding an energy source over the wound.
Is there enough force in the motion to connect a drivetrain to the device? How much input do we need to get any useful motion out of this?
I'd rather you do it wrong, than for me to have to do it at all.