MEMS marvels

166ANGELBLUEResearchers at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne have created microscale models of the Tyne Bridge and the Angel of the North sculpture that are tinier than the period at the end of this sentence. The designs showcase MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) technology, tiny devices fabricated from silicon with techniques similar to those used in integrated circuit manufacturing. Of course, these microscopic architectural wonders were preceded by flw, a 1/1 millionth scale MEMS version of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater that Boing Boing pal Ken Goldberg and Karl Bohringer constructed way back in 1996. Link

Update: Starting on Monday 7/14, Goldberg and Bohringer's flw will be on display for a month at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose.