Although small, tiny vibrations may pack a lot of design power for next-gen devices. For instance, they could upgrade the cooling systems in today’s smartphones and laptops, according to University of Edinburgh researchers.

They can also prevent ice build-up on airplane and wind turbines, and help create more energy-efficient appliances that dry clothes.

Through computer simulations, the team was able to show that small amounts of liquid (one thousand times thinner than a human hair) reached a boiling temperature if they were subjected to fast, extreme shaking. How fast are we talking about? The vibrations reached speeds a million times faster than a hummingbird’s flapping wings.

The simulations were run using ARCHER U.K. National Supercomputing Service, which is operated by the University of Edinburgh’s high-performance computing facility, the EPCC.

“Exploiting this new science of vibrations at the smallest scales could literally shake things up in our everyday lives. The advent of nanotechnology means that this discovery can underpin novel engineering devices of the future,” says Dr. Rohit Pillai, who is part of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering, and leader of the research.

When the vibrations moved the liquid molecules, they collided into each other, thus converting liquid into heat.  

This effect was only possible with small quantities that were placed above the vibrating surface by only a few billionths of a meter. According to the researchers, larger volumes produce tiny amounts of heat, waves, and bubbles.

The study, “Acoustothermal Atomization of Water Nanofilms,” was published in Physical Review Letters.