Micromachine runs on nuclear power

Inventors of the tiniest machines have tapped various power sources for their devices: electricity, light, even DNA. Now, Amit Lal of Cornell University and his colleagues are fueling a tiny oscillating cantilever with nuclear energy.

REALLY RAD. A nuclear-powered microcantilever (above) catches electrons in its gold-plated tip (arrow, below). SonicMEMS Group/Cornell Univ.