I don't think that argument holds up. See quantum mechanics.

Quantum mechanics is demonstrable on a lab bench (or smaller), so your counterargument is completely wrong.

Any useful consequence of a physical effect is, in effect, an experiment that could test that effect. So if the smallest test is with a machine the size of a small country, no device using the effect can be smaller.

They’re using big things to do experiments. Maybe they discover some new physical effect. How do you know that that effect couldn’t be demonstrated in some smaller scale experiment after it’s understood better?