The science of developing materials at the atomic and molecular level in order to imbue them with special electrical and chemical properties. Nanotechnology, which deals with devices typically less than 100 nanometers in size, is making a significant contribution to the fields of computer storage, semiconductors, biotechnology, manufacturing and energy.
In the future, amazing nanotech-based products are expected, including extraordinarily tiny computers that are very powerful, building materials that withstand earthquakes, advanced systems for drug delivery and custom-tailored pharmaceuticals as well as the elimination of invasive surgery, because repairs can be made from within the body.
One Person Can Make a Breakthrough
Larry Bock, CEO of Nanosys, who helped launch more than a dozen successful biotech companies in his career, said that nanotech will impact even more industries than biotech. In an excerpted article from the March 2003 Nanotech Report, he compared nanotechnology with microelectronics. Bock said that "a single chemistry graduate student can create novel devices and device architectures not even imaginable or manufacturable by today's biggest microprocessor companies. That is because these devices are fabricated chemically, or from the bottom up. Existing microelectronics technology is fabricated by etching wafers, or from the top down." See AFM, STM, Buckyball, nanotube and MEMS.
Fixing One Cell at a Time
By 2020, scientists at Rutgers University believe that nano-sized robots will be injected into the bloodstream and administer a drug directly to an infected cell. This robot has a carbon nanotube body, a biomolecular motor that propels it and peptide limbs to orient itself. Because it is composed of biological elements such as DNA and proteins, it will be easily removed from the body. For more information, see http://bionano.rutgers.edu/Mavroidis_Final_Report.pdf. (Image courtesy of the Bio-Nano Robotics team at Rutgers University: Constantinos Mavroidis, Martin L. Yarmush, Atul Dubey, Angela Thornton, Kevin Nikitczuk, Silvina Tomassone, Fotios Papadimitrakopoulos and Bernie Yurke.)
In the future, amazing nanotech-based products are expected, including extraordinarily tiny computers that are very powerful, building materials that withstand earthquakes, advanced systems for drug delivery and custom-tailored pharmaceuticals as well as the elimination of invasive surgery, because repairs can be made from within the body.
One Person Can Make a Breakthrough
Larry Bock, CEO of Nanosys, who helped launch more than a dozen successful biotech companies in his career, said that nanotech will impact even more industries than biotech. In an excerpted article from the March 2003 Nanotech Report, he compared nanotechnology with microelectronics. Bock said that "a single chemistry graduate student can create novel devices and device architectures not even imaginable or manufacturable by today's biggest microprocessor companies. That is because these devices are fabricated chemically, or from the bottom up. Existing microelectronics technology is fabricated by etching wafers, or from the top down." See AFM, STM, Buckyball, nanotube and MEMS.
Fixing One Cell at a Time
By 2020, scientists at Rutgers University believe that nano-sized robots will be injected into the bloodstream and administer a drug directly to an infected cell. This robot has a carbon nanotube body, a biomolecular motor that propels it and peptide limbs to orient itself. Because it is composed of biological elements such as DNA and proteins, it will be easily removed from the body. For more information, see http://bionano.rutgers.edu/Mavroidis_Final_Report.pdf. (Image courtesy of the Bio-Nano Robotics team at Rutgers University: Constantinos Mavroidis, Martin L. Yarmush, Atul Dubey, Angela Thornton, Kevin Nikitczuk, Silvina Tomassone, Fotios Papadimitrakopoulos and Bernie Yurke.)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
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- Blog posts 2009-09-08
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- Blog posts 2009-09-03
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- IBM scientists and a collaborator from the California Institute of Technology have created a computer chip utilizing synthesized DNA molecules. The approach could pave the way to create tiny circuits that could form the basis of smaller, more powerful computer chips. The DNA acts as scaffolding where...
- Blog posts 2009-08-18
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- Blog posts 2009-06-23
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- HP, Intel and Yahoo today announced that three new research organizations will join their Open Cirrus joint effort, a global open source testbed for the advancement of cloud computing research. The continued effort marks increased collaboration between the tech giants for cloud computing....
- Blog posts 2009-06-08
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- Blog posts 2009-05-26
- Obama counts Mundie, Schmidt, hedge fund founder Shaw as tech advisors
- President Obama named Microsoft research chief Craig Mundie and Google CEO Eric Schmidt to his panel of science and technology advisors along with a few other notable characters. The full name of this panel is the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology PCAST and the goal is...
- Blog posts 2009-04-27
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- Architects of the next generation of computers are developing a variety of nanostructures to meet the demand for increasingly smaller features for semiconductors, microprocessors, and other components. These tiny building blocks are quite extraordinary-some even self-assemble. And they'll help overcome many of the limitations of today's microelectronics...
- Blog posts 2009-04-24
- Nehalem servers could spark a $27bn feeding frenzy
- Nehalem servers could spark a $27bn feeding frenzyItanium doesn't stand a chance to NehalemOne things for sure (and probably why Intels Tukwila/Itanium has slipped by about a year) is that Itanium doesn't stand a chance against Nehalem and even when Tukwila does arrive, will have a tough ride against Nehalem-EX....
- Discussion threads 2009-03-26
- Nanorobot for Brain Aneurysm
- The idea of nanorobots floating throughout our arteries to fight diseases and deliver drugs is migrating from science fiction to medical fact, at least in virtual 3D simulations. Nanorobotics pioneer Adriano Cavalcanti and his colleagues report progress with their nanorobot control design NCD software which helps them simulate the behavior...
- Blog posts 2009-03-25
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- Accurately more nano than the iPod Nano, a radio built out of a single carbon nanotube that detects and plays songs was singled out in the latest issue of Scientific American as one of the first truly functional nanoscale devices that has a "measurable effect on the larger, macroscale world."...
- Blog posts 2009-02-17
- Quantum holographic storage: it works!
- Quantum holographic storage: it works!Star Wars Geeks building a HolocronA new attempt. The old way used different colored lasers to store information in a artificial crystal. but I think this one will work better as long as the material stays stable.the crystal idea was a cube and was multi-layered...
- Discussion threads 2009-02-03
- Quantum holographic storage: it works!
- Researchers at Stanford University have demonstrated quantum holographic storage, shattering long-held assumptions about the information limits of matter. Moving into the sub-atomic realm, they permanently stored 35 bits in the quantum space surrounding a single electron. Moreover, the technique allows holograms to be "stacked" in 3 dimensions....
- Blog posts 2009-02-03
- CSC Supports Groundbreaking Satellite Mission
- Following decades of work on major NASA efforts such as the Apollo program, they're playing a key role in the success of a small and relatively inexpensive next-generation satellite. The company wanted to work with the Naval Academy to design, build and launch a low-cost satellite that serves as a...
- Case studies 2009-01-26
- IBM is U.S. patent king in 2008; first to 4,000 patents
- Talk about a lot of brainpower. IBM said today that it became the first company ever to win more than 4,000 U.S. patents in a single year, citing a new report from research firm IFI Patent Intelligence, Reuters reports. Big Blue said it...
- Blog posts 2009-01-14
- News to know: Jobs and Apple; IE 8 patch due; Adobe; Windows 7 Beta 1
- Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily: Larry Dignan: Can you have Macworld without Jobs and Apple? We're going to find out Apple statement Techmeme Sam Diaz: What does Apple’s MacWorld...
- Blog posts 2008-12-17
- Nanotechnology-based smart yarn for soldiers
- Chinese and U.S. researchers have developed a carbon nanotube-coated smart yarn which can conduct electricity and be woven into textiles to detect blood or to monitor health. According to one of the lead researchers, today's smart textiles, which are made of metallic or optical fibers, are fragile and not comfortable....
- Blog posts 2008-12-16
- Go med young man
- Go med young manThink of all the doctor appointments that you've ever hadYeow---I didn't like any of them---traumatized!Doctors are expensive to educate...... leading to large loans. They require expensive procedures and prescriptions to do their jobs.How many Doctors can the country afford?I've read that the mathematically best and brightest...
- Discussion threads 2008-12-09
- America loses its moral technologist: Michael Crichton
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- Blog posts 2008-11-06
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