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Developing motors of light to power small electronic devices

Physicists have successfully measured the angular momentum carried by tiny rings of light called optical vortices, an important step in harnessing their energy to power microelectromechanical (MEMs) devices. Industry observers say that MEMs devices could lead to the production of everything from nanorobots to laboratories-on-a-chip by bringing together silicon-based microelectronics with micromachining technology.