23-year-old Indian student Tapala Nadamuni has reclaimed his Guinness World Record by designing the world’s smallest vacuum cleaner. Measuring just 0.65 cm (0.25 in), the vacuum is smaller than a pinkie fingernail and breaks the previous record, set in 2022, by 0.2 cm.
Tapala originally held the title in 2020 with a 1.76 cm vacuum but spent two years and two failed attempts to reclaim it. His new design, built from a ballpoint pen and powered by a four-volt motor, can pick up dust particles.
The project cost him 20,000 rupees ($238), and Tapala expressed excitement over the achievement, earning admiration from both his peers and faculty.