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World's Tiniest Radiometer To Power Medical Scanner

Posted by timothy on from the good-weekend-for-it dept.

BuzzSkyline writes "University of Texas physicists have built the world's smallest radiometer. The minuscule radiometer is only 2 millimeters across and operates on the same principles as the common light-driven toy, which consists of spinning black and white vanes in a partially evacuated bulb. The researchers attached a mirror to their tiny radiometer and used it to rapidly scan a laser beam. Their hope is that they will be able to incorporate the radiometer into catheters to drive scanners that produce medical images of the interiors of blood vessels and organs. The devices would replace micromotors in conventional catheter-based scanners, eliminating the need to run potentially risky electrical currents into the body."

8 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. Re:You by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    They really should be working on the worlds smallest violin...

  2. Re:Powered via a cable by causality · · Score: 4, Funny

    At first this "Because there's obviously no sunlight in the body, this light-mill pulls its power from a laser run up through the center of the catheter." seemed rather silly. When you already have a cable why not use that to get all the power you want? But later on the articles mentions that blood vessels really don't like anything above one volt.

    So by reading the fine article you answered your own question.

    --
    It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
  3. Re:Powered via a cable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    This RTFAing must stop! And flaunting about it is even worse, this will encourage others and become the doom of Slashdot!

  4. Re:Smallest radiometer? Not at all. by BuzzSkyline · · Score: 3, Funny

    They meant a Crookes Radiometer.

  5. Pass the lube... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Funny

    The devices would replace micromotors in conventional catheter-based scanners, eliminating the need to run potentially risky electrical currents into the body.

    You had me at "catheter" and "electrical current".

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    1. Re:Pass the lube... by Like2Byte · · Score: 2, Funny

      The devices would replace micromotors in conventional catheter-based scanners, eliminating the need to run potentially risky electrical currents into the body.

      You had me at "catheter" and "electrical current".

      If that's what you're in to. They had me at "replace".

  6. a spinning, laser powered catheter? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Look, I know it doesn't literally spin.

    But the analogy needs to be rethought. Because, the Crooke's thing, a laser, and my urethra don't sound compatible.

    sigh. some intelligent people should really be reclassified as savants.

  7. Re:Powered via a cable by Sulphur · · Score: 2, Funny

    This points out a need to revise the expression "where the sun doesn't shine."