Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems
Formal
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is a miniaturized mechanical and electro-mechanical element typically used for measurements. They usually consist of a central unit that processes data and several components that interact with the surroundings, such as microsensors.
Practical
MEMS are separate and distinct from the hypothetical vision of molecular nanotechnology or molecular electronics. MEMS are made up of components between 1 to 100 micrometers in size (i.e. 0.001 to 0.1 mm), and MEMS devices generally range in size from 20 micrometers to a millimetre (i.e. 0.02 to 1.0 mm). They usually consist of a central unit that processes data (the microprocessor) and several components that interact with the surroundings such as microsensors.
