US Patent 7591193 - Nano-anemometer

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7591193.html

Anemometers are commonly used to measure wind speed. This patent from Hewlett-Packard teaches a nanoscale version of an anemometer useful to measure flow velocities in microfluidic devices. Claim 1 reads:

1. A hot wire nano-anemometer comprising:

a pair of electrodes supported by a substrate and separated by an open area;

a nanowire formed in situ in the open area, electrically and mechanically coupled to the pair of electrodes; and

a sensing apparatus coupled to the nanowire to measure a temperature dependent property of the nanowire.