LEGO Makes Cheap Nanoscope Possible

LEGO bricks are not just toys that will help fuel the imagination of a youngster, as these precision constructed bricks happen to be able to deliver some rather interesting real-world applications. Ranging from power tools to robots, innovative use of LEGO bricks have always been a marvelous read. A bunch of innovative students from University College London, Tsinghua University, and Peking University, decided to work together in Beijing in order to churn out what they deem as the first low-cost atomic force microscope in the world. In other words, they used some LEGO bricks to make up a nanoscope, now how about that for innovation?

Of course, this bunch of students also had help from a group of scientists, where they worked under the umbrella of the LEGO2NANO project. The main purpose of this move? To create a low-cost atomic force microscope (AFM). The AFM would be different from a standard optical microscope, as it is capable of scanning objects that are as small as a millionth of a millimeter. A standard AFM might cost more than $100,000 to build, but this LEGO inspired AFM? It cost around half a grand in comparison. We do hope to see other more innovative uses of LEGO bricks down the road, too.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: Lego