Open Questions: Microelectromechanical Systems

Micro Systems Laboratories: At the University of California, Los Angeles. Does work on MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical Systems) and micro-fluidics.
MEMS: Article from Wikipedia.

The Little Machines That Are Making It Big
David Bishop; Peter Gammel; C. Randy Giles
Physics Today, October 2001, pp. 38-44: Microelectromechanical systems are silicon-based machines from .1 to 100 microns in size. They are already being used in such applications as automotive airbags, fiber optic switches, digital projection systems, and scientific measuring devices. They could drive a new industrial revolution based on a new and wholly different class of machines.
The Little Engines That Couldn't
Peter Weiss
Science News, July 22, 2000, pp. 56-58: Moving parts of micromachines that are smaller than 100 microns in size encounter difficulties due to physical effects between surfaces in contact.
[References]
May the Micro Force Be With You
Ivan Amato
Technology Review, September/October, 1999, pp. 74-82: MEMS - microelectromechanical systems - are far along in the R&D cycle. They are already used in digital projection systems, and may soon be used in a variety of other communication and information-processing devices.
Silicon Micromechanical Devices
James B. Angell; Stephen C. Terry; Phillip W. Barth
Scientific American, April 1983, pp. 44-55: Very small mechanical devices can be etched in silicon in the same was as electronic circuits. Mechanical systems which have already been fabricated include valves, nozzles, and pressure sensors.