'Microtweezers' work at nanoscale level WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've have created a new type of microtweezers to manipulate objects to build up tiny nanoscale structures. Scientists at Purdue University say the new tool could be used in nanotechnology, to print microcoatings to make advanced sensors, or to grab and position live stem cells for research. Structures in microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, could be assembled like microscopic Lego pieces moved individually into place with the microtweezers, mechanical engineering professor Cagri Savran said in a Purdue release Tuesday. "We've shown how this might be accomplished easily, using new compact and user-friendly microtweezers to assemble polystyrene spheres into three-dimensional shapes," he said. The new tool has three main parts: a thimble knob from a standard micrometer, a two-pronged tweezer made from silicon, and a "graphite interface" which converts the turning motion of the thimble knob into a pulling-and-pushing action to open and close the tweezer prongs. While other types of microtweezers have been developed and are being used in research, the new design is simpler both to manufacture and operate, Savran said. "We currently are working to weigh single micro particles, individually selected among many others, which is important because precise measurements of an object's mass reveal key traits, making it possible to identify composition and other characteristics," Savran said. This will now be as easy as selecting and weighing a single melon out of many melons in a supermarket.