# Atomic Stop-motion (DD-663)

> IBM Research released 'A Boy and His Atom' on April 30, 2013, and Guinness World Records certified it as the world's smallest stop-motion film. Scientists at IBM's Almaden lab in San Jose used a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to drag carbon monoxide molecules across a copper surface, one frame at a time. The microscope ran at about -268 °C (5 K), cold enough to hold the molecules in place, and magnified the surface more than 100 million times. Each CO molecule shows up as a dot. The team made 242 frames, each 45 by 25 nanometers, and Guinness says they did it between January 29 and February 6, 2013. Four researchers worked 18-hour days for about two weeks, using a few dozen molecules. Guinness describes the animation as 60 seconds long; the YouTube upload runs 1 minute 33 seconds with titles and credits. The film was outreach for IBM's atomic-scale data storage research, which in 2012 stored one bit of data in 12 atoms.

- Department: Science (also Tech, Media)
- First published: 2025-10-18
- Last updated: 2025-10-18
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/atomic-stop-motion/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **Jan. 29, 2013–Feb. 6, 2013**: IBM researchers at Almaden make the film's 242 frames
- **April 30, 2013**: IBM Research releases 'A Boy and His Atom'

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=atomic-stop-motion

## Quick facts

- **DD-663-F01**: Guinness certified 'A Boy and His Atom' as the smallest stop-motion film. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (The record))_
- **DD-663-F02**: The film has 242 frames, each 45 by 25 nanometers. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (The record))_

## Write-up

A cartoon drawn in molecules. IBM moved carbon monoxide on copper, one frame at a time.

1. **The record**: Guinness certified 'A Boy and His Atom' as the smallest stop-motion film in 2013. Each frame is 45 by 25 nanometers.
2. **The tool**: A scanning tunneling microscope moved carbon monoxide molecules on copper and imaged them, magnifying the surface more than 100 million times.
3. **The cold**: The microscope ran at about -268 °C, which keeps the molecules where they're placed.
4. **The frames**: The team made 242 frames between January 29 and February 6, 2013, and IBM released the film on April 30.
5. **Why IBM did it**: It was outreach for atomic-scale storage research. In 2012, IBM stored one bit in just 12 atoms.

## Related case files

- [Quantum Infrastructure (DD-012)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/quantum-cryogenics/): IBM's ultra-cold hardware for quantum chips
- [Shrinking Circuits (DD-018)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/shrinking-circuits/): Another push toward atomic-scale computing

## Reel vs. record

- **Title**: the film is 'A Boy and His Atom' (the Reel writes '&').
- **Length**: Guinness gives the animation as 60 seconds. The 1:33 YouTube running time includes titles and credits.
- **Missing**: the molecules were moved by an STM at about -268 °C (5 K). The cold keeps them in place.
- **Missing scale**: each frame is 45 by 25 nanometers, and the surface was magnified more than 100 million times.
- **Missing purpose**: IBM made it as outreach for atomic-scale data storage research, which in 2012 stored one bit in 12 atoms.

## Video: Atomic Stop-motion: A Cartoon Drawn in Molecules

- Duration: 21.4 s · Published: 2025-10-18
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DP94qWnEt4k.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? A Boy & His Atom is a fascinating nano stop-motion film made by IBM Research in 2013 that holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest stop-motion movie ever created. The 1 minute and 33 second film uses carbon monoxide molecules, which are two-atom molecules, that are moved frame by frame on a copper surface using a scanning tunneling microscope, or STM. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: Which molecules were moved to make the film?**  
A: Carbon monoxide, on copper. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The record) · Guinness World Records (May 3, 2013): IBM goes atomic for smallest stop-motion film; Guinness World Records: Smallest stop-motion film)_

**Q: What tool moved the molecules?**  
A: A scanning tunneling microscope (STM). _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The tool) · Guinness World Records (May 3, 2013): IBM goes atomic for smallest stop-motion film; Wikipedia: A Boy and His Atom (citing BBC, AP and IBM))_

**Q: About how cold was the microscope?**  
A: About 5 K. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (The cold) · Guinness World Records (May 3, 2013): IBM goes atomic for smallest stop-motion film; Wikipedia: A Boy and His Atom (citing BBC, AP and IBM))_

**Q: How many frames does the film have?**  
A: 242 frames. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (The frames) · Guinness World Records (May 3, 2013): IBM goes atomic for smallest stop-motion film; IBM Research (YouTube, Apr 30, 2013): A Boy and His Atom, the world's smallest movie)_

**Q: What research was the film promoting?**  
A: Storing data in a handful of atoms. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Why IBM did it) · Wikipedia: A Boy and His Atom (citing BBC, AP and IBM))_

## Sources

- [Guinness World Records (May 3, 2013): IBM goes atomic for smallest stop-motion film](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2013/5/ibm-goes-atomic-for-smallest-stop-motion-film-48482)
- [Guinness World Records: Smallest stop-motion film](https://guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/smallest-stop-motion-film)
- [Wikipedia: A Boy and His Atom (citing BBC, AP and IBM)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_and_His_Atom)
- [IBM Research (YouTube, Apr 30, 2013): A Boy and His Atom, the world's smallest movie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSCX78-8-q0)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Atomic Stop-motion." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-663, last updated Oct 18, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/atomic-stop-motion/