Imation's Atom Flash Drive may not be the most capacious USB key you've ever seen -- heck, it's probably not even the smallest -- but it is this company's most diminutive of all time, and that just has to count for something. Available in 1/2/4/8GB sizes, these units feature Vista ReadyBoost compatibility and support for passwords while measuring less than 1.5-inches long and .5-inches wide. Slip one of these sub-1-ounce drives into your pocket today for $17.99 to $99.99, depending on capacity.

Unlike Brickhouse Security, we won't go so far as to call this thing "invisible," but when placed in the ear, all but the most eagle-eyed among us are likely to overlook it. The elaborately named Secret Service Invisible 2-Way Micro Headset comes with an easily hidden wireless transmitter that plugs into any mobile with a 2.5-millimeter audio output. Once rigged up, the wearer can have someone listen in on conversation in a room while also receiving input from said listener. Unfortunately, this likely Jack Bauer-approved gizmo demands a practically ludicrous $649.95, so it looks like we'll be sticking to brute force and walkie talkies here. Check out a demo video after the jump -- but be sure and kill the speakers first, alright?

[Thanks, Tony M.]

Researchers from Ritsumeikan University and the Shiga University of Medical Science have developed a miniature robot prototype that is controlled remotely once placed inside the body via an incision (whew! not a suppository) at the affected area. Unlike existing swallowable robots that can only snap pictures and gather info, this minibot is maneuvered by controlling external magnetic fields located close to the patient, and can perform medical treatments that may, in some cases, negate the need for surgery. As of now, the researchers have experimented with 5 different variations of the device to test functions like capturing images, taking tissue samples (see creepy forceps above), and administering medicines. The robot is positioned and guided using an MRI of the patient taken pre-surgery, and an attached mini-cable relays stats and images back to a computer during the procedure. The robot is composed of plastic and measures at 0.8-inches in length and 0.4-inches in diameter, which, by all means, doesn't seem that tiny when you picture it crawling around inside of you. Supposedly, this little guy has tested well with animals, so we humans may be next in line.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

There's apparently a good bit of conflict at the University of Edinburgh, as we've got one esteemed fellow claiming that nanotech products are potentially dangerous, and now we've got a professor of chemistry insinuating that his nanomachines can change the world. Regardless of their personal differences, David Leigh has borrowed an idea from 1867 in crafting "a minuscule motor that could lead to the creation of microscopic nanomachines," and while he credits the "Maxwell's Demon" as its inspiration, he hopes these plans will actually lead to something substantial. The bantam motor is entirely solar-powered, and has been "devised to trap molecules as they move in a certain direction under their natural motion." Preliminary tests have shown a nanomachine moving a drop of water uphill by using molecular force, which gives researchers hope that this discovery will allow these diminutive machines to "do things that are much closer to what biological machines do." Of course, even Mr. Leigh admits that predicting just how this can or will effect society is difficult, but considering that he's aiming to to bring things that "could happen in a Harry Potter film" to fruition, we won't count him out just yet.

There are monstrous projectors, run-of-the-mill renditions, small versions, and then there's ridiculously tiny ones, but we've got love for 'em all. It looks like Microvision tends to favor the diminutive kind, however, as the company is looking to showcase its "ultrathin, miniature full-color projection display" at next week's CES. Hoping to cram this bad boy into your next mobile phone, PDA, or other handheld gizmo, the firm is touting its incredibly small form factor as the next coming of mobile displays. Taking up the same amount of space as Apple's 2G Shuffle, the display can project "extremely sharp and vivid" imagery onto walls, bodies, screens, or skyscrapers, with a maximum image size "similar to a big screen plasma TV." Sure, we're fully aware of the sensationalism they're tossing in, but this type of development could refine mobile video and the ability to view it on a decent sized screen, so hopefully we'll catch a glimpse of this miniscule PJ in just a few days.

[Via Uber-Review]

We're not exactly sure why anyone would want to watch anything on a 1.5-inch screen, but apparently the unwashed masses do; as such, enter the TA 454 Digital Video Player. About the size of two quarters, this $80 256MB media player takes SD cards and will playback WMV, MP3, SMV, JPG and eBook files. We're still mystified how the TA 454's engineers managed to get an FM tuner into that tiny case, too, but that's why they have advanced degrees and laboratories and we don't. Still, we'd like to see it go head-to-head against the iRiver N20, the other tiny DAP with a screen du jour.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Last time we took a look at the tiny robot plane being developed by a group of Swiss researchers in Lausanne, the micro-flyer had a wingspan of just 31 inches and weighed about an ounce. But the developers vowed to produce a version with a wingspan half as long, and sure enough, they've gone and done it. The latest edition has a 14-inch wingspan and weighs about a third of an ounce. Like its predecessor, it takes its inspiration from the insect world, and is able to fly indoors autonomously, and includes tiny wing-mounted cameras and a gyroscopic stabilizer. Now, the developers have set the bar higher for the next version: they're shooting for a housefly-sized flyer. Let us know when it's ready. In the meantime, we are so ready to take this one for a spin.