One thing we can confirm, though, is that it has a camera on board to beam back images and (per the picture to the right) Seiko Epson has all kinds of sci-fi delusions in mind for its future uses.

ENGADGET: Video of Seiko Epson's flying microbot

Each mirror acts as a beam-steering device, controlling whether a single picture element (pixel) in the image is light or dark.

ECONOMIST: Curtains for celluloid

The specimen is then rotated on a mechanised platform as it is exposed to the X-ray beam, in order to build up a three-dimensional picture.

BBC: Hi-tech scans reveal brain of human 'ancestor'