While there is a lot of movement on 3D printers printing larger and larger objects (see The Man Who Prints Houses), we can’t avoid taking notice of the work going on at the other end of the spectrum where some researchers are trying to print objects on a smaller and smaller scale.

Researchers Jan Torgersen and Peter Gruberand under the guidance of professor Jürgen Stampfl at Vienna University of Technology are using a process called “two-photo lithography” to make structures smaller than a grain of sand. Just what could we use such tiny 3D printed objects for? Watch the video and then use your imagination.

Here’s another video that shows the 3D printer at work. Amazing: