Bullets are only nanometers in size! This may be the world's smallest shooting video game →

In a laboratory at Nagoya University in Japan, scientists recently turned a serious laboratory into an "arcade". They used a high-energy electron beam as a "remote control" to fire bullets only at the nanoscale (one nanometer is roughly equivalent to one hundred thousandth of the thickness of a hair), and developed the world's smallest shooting game.

However, this is not scientists slacking off; it is a new technology that could change the future and is an important step toward developing a computer interface system that seamlessly integrates virtual objects with real nanomaterials.

Schematic diagram of the world's smallest shooting game created by Japanese scientists

PART 01

Why build Nano Games?

Through this game, the researchers demonstrated what they call " nano mixed reality " technology, which is somewhat similar to the well-known AR (augmented reality) technology. AR can superimpose virtual information on the real world, thereby achieving a fusion of real and virtual interactions, but "nano mixed reality" seamlessly integrates digital virtual objects with the real nano world.

Application of AR in daily life

How can this technology be presented in an intuitive and engaging way?

The research team thought of video games. As fans of retro video games, the researchers were inspired by classic arcade games and designed the interactive shooting game mentioned at the beginning of the article.

Any player can operate this mini game with just an ordinary game controller. Its working principle is also very clever. The entire game area is actually on a silicon nitride substrate.

When the controller is operated, it actually moves the electron beam under the silicon nitride substrate. The electron beam will show a triangular pattern representing a virtual spaceship. If the player presses the "fire" button, the electron beam will excite the nanoscale dot pattern, and the triangular spaceship will fire nanoscale bullets.

Game screen shown by Japanese scientists

In this game, the triangular spaceship and the nano-scale bullets fired are like virtual tags or objects superimposed on the real world in AR technology. So why can the virtual spaceship and bullets push the solid polystyrene ball with a diameter of only a few microns?

It turns out that these electron beams are like invisible hands that can generate electric fields and can be used to control the movement of tiny objects . That is why in this little shooting game, players can control virtual spaceships, fire bullets, and push real polystyrene balls just by looking at the screen.

PART 02

Future prospects

Fortunately, game companies don’t have to worry that this nano-scale game will become their competitor, and this is not the real purpose of the research team.

They also hope to demonstrate a new technology for moving tiny objects without physical contact. In the future, it can also be used to assemble biomolecules or nanomachines, and is expected to be applied to nanotechnology and biomedical engineering, such as guiding drugs to viruses and bacteria in organisms.

Currently, the research results have been published in the Japan Journal of Applied Physics.

References:

[1]https://phys.org/news/2025-02-world-smallest-video-game-nanoscale.html

[2]https://newatlas.com/games/world-smallest-video-game-nanoscale/

Compiled by: Wen Xing

Planning: Liu Ying, Zhang Chao, Li Peiyuan, Yang Liu

Reviewer: Nie Guangjun, researcher at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology