Atomic Force Microscope

The AFM can be used to manipulate single atoms by sending an electric current to pick up and drop atoms.

Courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories

Nanorex

Modern-day scientists use a program called Nanorex. Created by Eric Drexler, the program allows scientists to create gears, joints, speed reducers, and pumps out of molecules.

Courtesy of Nanorex Inc.

Scanning Tunneling Microscope

A scanning tunneling microscope is a microscope that uses an electric current to magnify an image. The image is so detailed, that the probe that is used to run the electric current must be close enough that even an oxygen atom might not get in the way. It allows scientists and researchers to see a cross section of the atoms.

Courtesy of Michigan Technological University

Atomic Force Microscope

The atomic force microscope is a device that scans objects at the atomic level at a resolution much higher than a scanning probe microscope. It uses the principle of quantum tunnelling, the phenomena in which electrons "jump" through space to a different position, to pinpoint specific atoms and molecules.

Courtesy of Michigan Technological University