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Smallest pinball in the world: Mems Pinball
Original Publishing Date (y/m/d): 2003-06-30

I'm at the wrong university I think, should be at Chalmers. Some people at the Solid state electronics laboratory at the Department of Microelectronics at Chalmers (Sweden) have constructed the definitively smallest pinball in the world.
I'm afraid the table design and theme is a bit on the boring side and wont receive any top grades, just have a look at the dreadful grey colours and simplistic table layout, two flippers and lots of empty space (what were they thinking??):

Table
The smallest pinball in the world

How small you wonder? Imagine you live in a small apartment, basically just a bedroom and kitchen, if you are an ethusiast you could perhaps fit 4 or 5 cirquis voltaires in there. Of Mems Pinball you can however fit about a hundered thousands:

Lots of tables, about 40 of them or so I think...
I count about 40 tables,
how many do you see?

Lets take a closer look and do some comparisions:

Table in relation to a match Table size in relation to a piece of 0.5mm lead Table size in relation to a human hair
Table in relation to a match, piece of 0.5mm lead and a human hair

I can't see the flippers, show me the flippers!!! Note: The flippers are electrostatically-actuated monocrystalline silicon cantilevers (?).

The flippers

I can't see the ball, show me the ball!!!

The ball

So what exactly is this all about, how does it work, what is the point. Their site about the pinball doesn't reveal much, my guess is that they are really really nerdy at Chalmers and really really like pinball. ;)

Do visit their site about the pinball and download one of the videos (from which the above images were taken). Quite fun to watch! :)

  • The MEMS-Pinball
  • Solid State Electronics Laboratory
  • Slashdot discussion (about this I believe, at least partly)