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Posted by Julia
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"Smart dust" particles self-assemble on drops of oil in water. The
microscopic particles are flakes of porous silicon manufactured on the
nanometer (one billionth of a meter) scale. The sensors can
spontaneously assemble, orient, sense, and report on their local
environment.
Researchers hope to use such tiny, cheap sensors to
measure all manner of ecological variables, from chemicals in the soil
to scents in the air.
Photograph by Jamie Link, UCSD
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