Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) hold great promise for sensing and actuating on the micron scale. There is a hierarchy of increasing difficulty for placing MEMS devices in the field. Devices that do not allow contact between structural members rely mainly on mechanical properties of freestanding films. High-resolution techniques must be developed within the framework of MEMS to measure properties such as modulus and residual stress. When contact and rubbing contact are allowed, the complexities of adhesion and friction at the microscale must be understood and well controlled. Fluid...