Inspired by the mischievous constructor robots, Trurl and Klapaucius, in Stanislaw Lem's science fiction story, "The Second Sally", I collaborated with Will Langford to engrave the words "JUST SAND" on a single grain of sand using an Excimer micromachining laser.

"[...] even the sawdust, everything which the constructors returned exactly as promised, was thoroughly examined under an electron microscope. But except for a miniscule card in the sawdust which read JUST SAWDUST, there was nothing out of the ordinary." - Stanislaw Lem, The Cyberiad

Excimer micromachining laser

The computer program we wrote telling the laser how to write "JUST SAND"

Aiming the laser on the grain of sand

CT scanning the engraved grain of sand

CT scanning the engraved grain of sand

CT scan of JUST SAND