Rice University rolls out new and improved "nanocar"
By Donald Melanson 
posted Feb 4th 2009 4:11PM
posted Feb 4th 2009 4:11PM
Nano-sized letters are one thing, but nothing impresses the nanotechnology community like creepy crawly nanotech, and some researchers from Rice University look to have fully delivered on that point with their latest so-called "nanocar." At about two nanometers in length, the new nanocar apparently doesn't represent a drastic reduction in size over the previous incarnation, but it does have the notable advantage of being able to "travel" across surfaces at room temperature (a temperature of 200° Celsius was required before). Interestingly, that breakthrough was actually discovered by accident, and was later able to be confirmed using a mix of time-lapse photography and a new tracking algorithm. As you might have guessed, however, they're still quite a ways away from being able to actually control the car, although the researchers say using six wheels instead of four could help with that, as could tracks to keep 'em going in one direction.
[Via DailyTech]
[Via DailyTech]
What's the mileage on these bad boys? That's what I want to know.
Wonder what's the cost of gas.
Hopefully they put a 6 cylinder diesel in it! (Oh wait... that's a different thread!)
Infinity?
Go Houston, Texas!
It's fun to see what the guys in this department are cooking up. Locally, a lot more incremental information regarding there research is reported on.
welcome to the future of nascar.
I bet it's got !@#$ all for leg room.
Does the University get a bailout too?
Rice(r) University? Fast and the Furious 5!
I thought they only drove "Rice burners"?
what's the 0-60?
One Million Years.
little stuff, BIG IDEA!
5 years later: Introducing - GOOGLE BODY
Apple already pattented the mobile car... however having a sleek, skinny and tight car means only 1% of american's could ride in it, not to mention the iCar nano.
...and by Google Body, I mean that this nano-car will have nano-cameras set up for exploring and taking pictures along the lipid surface. Hence a map of the human from the nano-perspective.
Vroom!
Gran Turismo Nano?
Does it come in red?
I go to Rice. I was floored to find this on the front page. It's easy to forget the cool, incredible, groundbreaking work that my peers do when I see them mostly in a kegstand type of setting.
Way to go, Rice!
Wait, we can do this?/?
My name is caboose
How is this car supposed to break any "Smallest" records, it will get bigger and bigger as it drives. You know, what with having katamari for wheels.
We must have equal levels of Geek-nitude (Geek-nicity? Geek-itry?) because that's one of the first things I thought too.
I just wish that every one would recycle so we woulnt have to pay so much taxes and that would save our enviremnt
And I'm guessing you're saying these "cars" will inspire recycling?
........ You're an idiot.............
I don't care about them making a new "smallest" at this level. I think that they need to work on building new "largest" molecular machines. We're not going to have a nano-tech revolution until the labs start to amass a large library of simple techniques to create mass quantaties of components that can easily assemble together and create something useful.
Dude, where is my car?
THAT'S SO USE FULL!
Clowns, the bar has been raised.
Hell yeah, Rice! That's my school right there.
I can't decide, do I get one of these or an Aptera?
Woohoo, go Rice.
So when will be see live races with those and what kind of lenses will the cameras use?
Nice.
So, do they use an atomic force microscope to pull it back and let it go?