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A machine that uses the surface of water to braid microscopic fibres

Conventional manufacturing methods struggle to meet the increasing demand for microscopic and nanoscale products, because small things are difficult to manipulate. An innovative machine that uses a water–air interface to grab and manoeuvre microscopic objects might be a powerful tool in this race-to-the-smallest.

This is a summary of: Zeng, C. et al. 3D-printed machines that manipulate microscopic objects using capillary forces. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05234-7 (2022).

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-03326-y

‘Expert opinion’ is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

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