Awesome Video Features Stop-Start Motion Made with ATOMS! “A Boy and His Atom”
Yes, atoms. What you see in the video is 100 million times bigger than actual size. The actual device used in the lab that handles and moves the atoms is at -268° Centigrade (-450° Fahrenheit), which helps keep the atoms from moving around. FYI… 0° Kelvin, which is “Absolute Zero” – the point where everything, including molecular levels, freezes – is -273.15°C and -450.67°F. So they are very nearly at Absolute Zero. Remember, normally atoms they’re busy little buggers – always in motion.
Guinness has certified that this is the world’s smallest stop-motion film. Like there’s any competition for this category? The IBM scientists won this one hand’s down.
Without further ado, her is “A Boy and His Atom.” (Just grit your teeth through the IBM self-advertising at the beginning)
This second video below is how the scientists made the video.
Source: NBC News: World’s smallest stop-motion film made with individual atoms
A screen shot:
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And the scientists have a cool sense of humor. Here is the Star Trek Enterprise created at atomic level:
Related articles
- IBM makes stop-motion film using atoms as pixels (arstechnica.com)
- IBM makes stop-motion film using atoms as pixels (wired.co.uk)
- A Boy and His Atom: The world’s smallest movie from IBM (metro.co.uk)
- This Stop Motion Movie Is Animated Using Individual Atoms (gizmodo.com)
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I adjusted my headphones during the commercial. 🙂 It’s really cute, reminds me of a game we used to play called 7-Up. The first activity was simple, bounce the ball against a wall and catch it 7 times before it hits the ground. The activity became more complex as the reps got lower.
It was simple fun with no batteries required.
I’m am must utterly amazed they were able to do this with atoms!
My immediate question was how they could move individual atoms so precisely. Fascinating!
Completely fascinating. I never would have thought this possible.