What would limit the magnitude of force a utility fog (aerosol swarm of tiny bots) can generate?

So, utility fogs have been around for quite a while in my world, mainly to patch up whatever holes I had in my magic system:

• If the Fireball really is just an M67 nade, then what propels it 122 meters forward?
• How can my characters summon festive hats out of nothing?
• Who killed Laura Palmer?

Utility fogs are swarms of tiny robots, called foglets. Foglets are 100 micrometers in diameter (The world's smallest insect is like 186 micrometres long on average), including their arms. These arms are used to exert force and grab other foglets.

Image is from: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foglet.jpg

While the proposal says that they can exert any force anywhere, in the fog, but it doesn't mention the approximate magnitude. In our case, if it's a neat but harmless tool or Lucy from Elfen Lied(NSFW/Edgy).

What elements of the foglets' construction limit/determine the maximum pressure the fog could generate under standard circumstances (part of the fog can push against an immovable solid wall, placed perpendicular to the direction of the force)?

And please, read the proposal! Everything important is there!

posted over 5 years ago

Mephistopheles‭

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