Researchers at Netherland’s University of Twente have have succeeded in constructing the first musical instrument with dimensions measured in mere micrometres – a ‘Micronium‘ – that produces audible tones:

The tiny musical instrument is made up of springs that are only a tenth of the thickness of a human hair, and vary in length from a half to a whole millimetre. A mass of a few dozen micrograms is hung from these springs.

The mass is set in motion by so-called ‘comb drives’: miniature combs that fit together precisely and shift in relation to each other, so ‘plucking’ the springs and creating sounds. The mass vibrates with a maximum deflection of just a few micrometres. This minimal movement can be accurately measured, and produces a tone. Each tone has its own mass spring system, and six tones fit on a microchip. By combining a number of chips, a wider range of tones can be achieved.

“The tuning process turned out to be the greatest challenge”, says Engelen. “We can learn a lot from this project for the construction of other moving structures. Above all, this is a great project for introducing students to micromechanics and clean room techniques.”

The Micronium is MIDI-controlled, making it the world’s smallest MIDI synthesizer.

Check out the video demo for more audio demos. The music starts about six minutes in. More information is available at the University’s site.