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Scientists have created a violin the size of a speck of dust. Can you play it?

Scientists have created a violin the size of a speck of dust. Can you play it?

Representative image of tiny violin

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Scientists have created a violin that is smaller than a single strand of human hair, almost the same size as a speck of dust. You cannot play it, but it is still a standing proof of how much technology has evolved.

Scientists have created a violin that is smaller than a single strand of human hair, almost the same size as a speck of dust. You cannot play it, but it is still a standing proof of how much technology has evolved. The violin has been made by scientists at Loughborough University, Earth.com reported. It measures only 35 microns long and 13 microns wide - one micron is one-millionth of a meter.

In comparison, even tardigrades, the infamous "water bears" that have become famous for surviving exposure to the vacuum of space, are much larger than the violin. Tardigrades typically measure between 50 and 1,200 microns.

Why did they choose to create the violin? It is supposedly an ode to the phrase - “Can you hear the world’s smallest violin playing just for you?”

Violin showcases nanoscale technology at the university

A lot of research and sophisticated technology went into creating the violin. The university has a new nanolithography system, a platform that can work at the nanoscale. Scientists wanted to show off its calibre, and so decided to create the tiny violin.

“Though creating the world’s smallest violin may seem like fun and games, a lot of what we’ve learned in the process has actually laid the groundwork for the research we’re now undertaking,” Professor Kelly Morrison, head of the Physics Department, said.

The scientists at the university used a machine called the NanoFrazor to make the violin. A process called thermal scanning probe lithography was used, in which a heated tip, as sharp as a needle "writes" detailed designs at the nanoscale.

Two layers of a gel-like material, called a resist, are coated on a chip, after which a violin design is etched into the top layer using the NanoFrazor. Once set, the exposed areas are dissolved, and a violin-shaped cavity remains. "Platinum is then applied in a thin coat, and the remaining material is rinsed away to reveal the miniature instrument."

Gloveboxes and sealed chambers are used to avoid any kind of contamination, while robotic arms are used to move the chip.

The team created several tiny violins before making the final version that took months to perfect.

Professor Morrison says that the method can be used to "develop new technologies."

“Once we understand how materials behave, we can start applying that knowledge to develop new technologies. But first, we need to understand the fundamental science and this system enables us to do just that.”

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