Since they have successfully created single atom motors how long till we can produce comparable nano-mechanisms for maximally miniaturised watchmaking?

How compact could you make the viewing microscope for the purpose of strapping to your wrist?

Postpocelipse said:

Since they have successfully created single atom motors how long till we can produce comparable nano-mechanisms for maximally miniaturised watchmaking?

How compact could you make the viewing microscope for the purpose of strapping to your wrist?

Have you never heard of the Caesium atom clock?

roughbarked said:

Postpocelipse said:

Since they have successfully created single atom motors how long till we can produce comparable nano-mechanisms for maximally miniaturised watchmaking?

How compact could you make the viewing microscope for the purpose of strapping to your wrist?

Have you never heard of the Caesium atom clock?

meh don’t want something digital on my steampunk outfit…..

Postpocelipse said:

How compact could you make the viewing microscope for the purpose of strapping to your wrist?

I’ve been wondering about this for many years, but have not come up with an answer.

As a general rule, the smaller the object seen by the microscope, the bigger the microscope has to be. But I don’t see why that has to be, I see no fundamental reason why an atomic force microscope can’t be miniaturised to sub-micron size. And an atomic force microscope is capable of seeing individual atoms.

The wavelength of light is not a hard limit on how small a visible light microscope can be. There are ways of beating that limit.

roughbarked said:

Have you never heard of the “Caesium atom clock?”

“Caesium atomic clock on a chip.
Sadly I don’t actually have this device, it was only loaned to me for a day to photograph it. Normally cesium clocks are large things, like a breadbox, washing machine, or small car, depending on the model. This thing is in inch across, and most of that is just the mounting board, the clock itself is less than a quarter of an inch high and a sixteenth inch wide. In that minuscule space are contained a pair of radio antennas, a heating coil, and a glass ampule with cesium trapped inside.
This particular example is a demonstration model where the various parts are not wired up to the contacts on the supporting circuit board. This allows you to see the tower of components clearly
Thanks to James Burrus of NIST for arranging the loan of this fabulous device.”

http://theodoregray.com/periodictable/Samples/055.7/index.s12.html

Miniaturisation is an interesting field of study, you do just wonder what can be shrunk down to fit into a handheld device. Take computer storage for example you can get a USB stick that can store 256 gigs last time I looked, you could probably fit all the scientific / technology knowledge of the human race on it (bar video and hi res images)