German scientists create the world’s smallest steam engine
December 13th, 2011 - 8:22 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattStuttgart, Dec 13 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A group of German scientists have come out with the world’s tiniest steam engine which is just a few micrometers long. The steam engine, regarded as one of the most revolutionary inventions in mankind’s history, was first made by Robert Stirling about two centuries ago.
The researchers admitted their surprise at being able to come out with the device because of the complications involved. The whole size of the engine is just 3 micrometers. The scientists used a plastic bead which is placed in a fluid. A double-laser setup controls the movement of the plastic in the water.
Announcing the breakthrough invention, a physicist at the University of Stuttgart, Clemens Bechinger, who also happens to be the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany said that, “We’ve developed the world’s smallest steam engine, or to be more precise the smallest Stirling engine, and found that the machine really does perform work.”
The only challenge of the new design has to do with their size. The scientists announced that because the size is so small, water molecules continually collide with the plastic bead which in turn affects the energy produced.
The researchers published their findings in the Nature Physics journal on Sunday.
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