National Institute of Standards and Technology scientists said the design allows nanotechnology researchers to track the motions of nanoparticles in solution as they dart around in three dimensions.

The researchers hope the technology, which the NIST said it plans to patent, will lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of nanoparticles in fluids and, ultimately, process control techniques to optimize the assembly of nanotech devices.

The research by Matthew McMahon, Andrew Berglund, Peter Carmichael, Jabez McClelland and J. Alexander Liddle was presented this week in New Orleans during a meeting of the American Physical Society.