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"I'm a fairly visual thinker. In doing science, I think in terms of pictures of things happening, and then do the mathematics."
- Gregory Benford

Micro-Android (Micro-Robot)  
  An extremely tiny robot or nanobot.  

Doc, Jan, and I kept working on the smaller micro-robots. But during an occasional spare hour we’d send our half- inch alter-bodies out into the cold to look around the ancient camp. We found nothing of interest except a splinter of diamond set in a metal shank, A cutting tool?

"Micro-androids, or the equivalent, in relation to beings not human! Is that what they are? Then it is another demonstration of the advantages of this improved, lab-developed basis for life — venturing into space unprotected, being almost indestructible — even going down into The Small! ... Or could it have evolved naturally?”

Technovelgy from Dawn of the Demigods, by Raymond Z. Gallun.
Published by Planet Stories in 1954
Additional resources -

Tiny robotic bodies make for tiny inscriptions:

It was like writing on the sky. My arm swung wide. But the range of about half an inch, with the rod’s energy roaring at full, was about right to give me a normal sized script. The jet’s kick was trying to break my arm, otherwise it wasn’t too hard to do.


(Micro-Robot writing in 'Dawn of the Demigods' by Raymond Z. Gallun)

I even tried writing backwards so that Scharber could read my message normally from inside bis helmet. Where the needle of heat touched, plastic seethed, and a visible line was left.

I wrote:

It’s us, Scharber. Lanvin, the Harvers. Changed. Micro-androids now — like race of Xian origin. Friendly. Go home, Scharber. But please send radiogram. Urge imperative need to keep our bodies alive. Will return to them. A million thanks for everything.

Compare to the microrob from A Game of Unchance (1964) by Philip K Dick.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Dawn of the Demigods
  More Ideas and Technology by Raymond Z. Gallun
  Tech news articles related to Dawn of the Demigods
  Tech news articles related to works by Raymond Z. Gallun

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