New calculations shows that the influence of quantum effects on the operating conditions of nanodevices has, until now, been overestimated. Micro- and nano-electromechanical devices, referred to as MEMS and NEMS, are ubiquitous. These nanoscale machines with movable parts are used, for example, to trigger cars' airbags following a shock. They can also be found in smartphones, allowing them to detect how to adequately display the screen for the viewer. The trouble is that, as their size decreases, forces typically experienced at the quantum level start to matter in these nanodevices.

Source: Revisiting quantum effects in micro- and nano-electromechanical devices