A computer circuit built and assembled on a single carbon nanotube: The nanocircuit is one-fifth the width of a human hair and can only be viewed under an electron microscope.

The nanocircuit is not designed to be used in a computer chip; instead, it is proof that allows a research team to test the switching speed of its design.

While using a nanocircuit, researchers have claimed that they could achieve a speed of 50 megahertz, hundreds of times slower than the gigahertz speeds of silicon processors seen in most personal computers; however, the researchers say the circuit is 100,000 times faster than any previously recorded for a device made with a carbon nanotube, and with continued refinement they hope to push speeds beyond those possible today.