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This week, IBM released the world's smallest movie—an animation made out of individual atoms.

IBM's atomic research usually focuses on data storage—the company recently announced that it can now store a single bit of data on 12 atoms—but doing such experiments requires that they know how to position the tiny particles with accuracy. To hone their technique, IBM's researchers set out to create an animated film using carbon monoxide molecules.

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How'd they do it? Two scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs) served as the world's smallest movie set. The STM contains a magnetically charged needle that arranges the atoms into positions chosen by the researcher at the helm, allowing them to produce individual frames of the movie. To keep the molecules sluggish so they won't scoot away, the action is taking place at a temperature of minus 260 degrees C. In sum, researchers placed 5000 atoms over the course of the minute-long film.


The point, IBM says, is that sometimes scientists just need to do the things that interest them. They'll find something new and innovative in the process, and important technologies will follow—even if the practical applications of atomic-level cartoons aren't clear just yet.

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