Small things could mean a lot

摘要

In the not too distant future, farmers may unleash hordes of tiny robotic ladybirds to clean up crop infestations. The production of chemicals and certain products may be carried out in factories no bigger than the size of a small house. Houses in the next 50 years may be heated by handy-sized packs of organic matter or bio gels; cleaning will be carried out by miniature robots buried deep in carpets or clinging to windows. All because increasingly scientists and engineers believe that thinking small may hold the answer to the world's environmental concerns.