Scientists have long grappled with the challenge of observing how industrial materials deform and break at an atomic scale. This was seen as daunting, if not impossible, leading many researchers to focus on developing algorithms for simulating failure mechanisms. However, Associate Professor Eita Tochigi of #UTokyo_IIS has astonished his peers by achieving real-time observations of how crystalline materials deform and break at an atomic scale. He utilized Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) in conjunction with a Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS).