Advances in nanotechnology have produced micromotors, such as the one shown in Figure 1, that are small enough to move through blood vessels and remove obstructions. Figure 2 shows a an even smaller micromotor. The two ‘microengines’ at top left (green) drive a tiny gear (yellow) that drives a larger gear (red) through one revolution per second. Motors such as this could have many applications, for example delivering drugs through pumps implanted in the body. (Both images were produced using electron microscopes.)
On a much larger scale, electric motors are increasingly being used to drive cars. On pages 8–11 of this issue of PHYSICS REVIEW Barry Smith asks ‘Will electric cars break the National Grid?’ and explores how our systems for electricity generation and energy storage will need to adapt to meet these new demands.
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