Nano tech: new tools for goofiness

Yes, it's a real fly with real glasses. And it is just such images that remind me why technology is a never ending source of worry. People are basically goofy and do goofy things with their tools. (I'm no exception.)

Actually there's a good reason why the company decided to put glasses on a fly:

Manufacturing firm Micreon GmbH submitted the insect's picture for the Bilder der Forschung (Photos of Science) 2005 competition. Selected images were on display last week in a Munich shopping center. Micreon, based in Hannover, Germany ... created the fly's eyewear using ultrafast laser micro-machining. The firm notes on its Web site that the process can create objects with high precision at scales of less than a thousandth of a millimeter. [1]

I wonder how the conversation got started at the board meeting. "Hey, Hans, I got this freaky good idea while staring at the windowsill at the Bratwurst house today during lunch..." The company claims they can create objects with high precision. I think I believe them.

REFERENCE

[1] "Photo in the News: Housefly Gets Glasses Made With Lasers" National Geographic Website (Accessed 12/22/2006)

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