Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) (also written as micro-electro-mechanical, MicroElectroMechanical or microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems) is the technology of very small mechanical devices driven by electricity and it merges at the nano scale into nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and nanotechnology.
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 micrometres in size
(i.e. 0.001 to 0.1 mm) and MEMS devices generally range in size from 20
micrometres (20 millionths of a meter) to a millimeter. They usually
consist of a central unit that processes data, the microprocessor and
several components that interact with the outside such as microsensors.