nanotechnology
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Scientists create "nanodog" to sniff out danger
A team of scientists at the University of Wales recently revealed that they've developed a new type of bomb-detecting sensor using nanotechnology, branding the tech with the too-cute-for-its-own-good "nanodog" moniker. As with most things nanotech, the nanodog promises to allow for devices to be both smaller and more effective than current technologies, apparently able to detect explosives at levels in the one part per trillion range. And, like it's K-9 counterpart, the sensor can apparently detect explosives even if they're concealed, which should no doubt lead to less invasive, and hopefully speedier airport searches in the future. Of course, depending on who you ask, the nanodog might not exactly turn out to be man's best friend.[Via Fark]
Researchers develop cheap, effective nanoparticle infrared detector
MIT's venerable Technology Review reports that a team of Canadian researchers led by Edward Sargent have devised a highly sensitive infrared chip that could potentially make night-vision goggles and other imaging devices both cheaper and more effective by using, what else, nanotechnology. The system involves spinning a glass slide or silicon chip to evenly coat it with a special solution of conducting nanoparticles called quantum dots -- something that can be done for as little as $17 per square meter, Sargent says. With the solution, the chip is able to pick up both the near and short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands, allowing for accurate night vision even in cloudy conditions. What's more, Sargent says the technology could also be applied to medical devices, since SWIR light can apparently easily pass through tissue at no risk to the patient. Your guess is as good as ours as to when we'll actually see any of this outside of the lab, but with the promise of higher yields than traditional fabrication processes, there's definitely an incentive to push this tech out the door.[Via Medgadget]
Better batteries through nanotechnology
We've seen hybrid batteries, hairy capacitors, and ultracapacitors, but considering how much we depend on batteries, we're not ones to turn up our noses at yet another new battery development. This latest one comes from researchers in France, who have turned to nanotechnology to create lithium-ion battery electrodes that have several times the energy capacity of traditional electrodes, meaning that batteries could either be significantly smaller or remain the same size and squeeze a whole lot more juice out of a single charge. Of course, one of the many big application for nano batteries is in remote sensors and medical implants, where smaller and longer lasting are definitely better. Which is probably why those smaller-scaled applications are the first we're likely to see, as larger electrodes are currently far less efficient than small ones. Thankfully the researchers at hand believe the technology could eventually be used to power electric and hybrid vehicles, which is always the dream, right?[Via MobileMag]
MIT developing hairy capacitors, Energizer Bunny weeps
Check it grandpa, 'cause your 18th century inventions are set to change modern portable electronics in a big way. Those neomaxizoomdweebies over at MIT have discovered a process whereby capacitors -- those little stored energy devices knocking dim-witted TV tinkerers on their asses for decades -- can be slathered at the electrodes with nanotubes thereby increasing the surface density to store more energy. So just like a thick fuzzy towel soaks up more slop than a bedside sock, these new capacitors can be kept small and store the equivalent energy of today's chemical batteries. Why do you care? Well, the device could potentially be recharged hundreds of thousands of times and in only a matter of seconds saving you time and the environment, heartburn. Prototypes are expected within the next few months with actual product hitting the market in less than five years. Fuel cells, fool cells, bring on the capacitors!
1080p carbon nanotube-based LCoS microdisplay
Syscan Imaging has announced the first product from the nanotechnology company they acquired last fall. The 0.7-inch microdisplay claims to deliver 1920x1080 images at a lower cost than competing technologies. They also hope to overcome some of the problems that have hamstrung LCoS technology so far by increasing yields and having a lower operating temperature. Finally, its designers are optimistic they'll be able to reach even higher resolutions in the future. Looks like D-ILA and SXRD may have some competition, although HDTVs based on the technology are not expected to hit until 2007.
Breakthrough in ferroelectric materials could enable million-GB thumbdrives
While we have to agree with certain Engadget readers who feel that 640KB of RAM is plenty for most computing tasks, those darn scientists just keep looking for ways to stuff more and more data into smaller spaces. The latest breakthrough on the storage tip comes courtesy of researchers from Drexel and Penn, who have found a way to stabilize the simple physical property of ferroelectricity at the nano scale, making possible such obviously unnecessary densities as 12,800,000GB per cubic centimeter. Ferroelectric materials are usable as memory because they possess the ability to switch electric charges in so-called dipole moments, but before Drexel's Dr. Jonathan Spanier and colleagues decided to embed the materials in water, it had previously been impossible to screen those dipole moments at scales small enough to be useful. Don't expect to be able to buy a zillion gig, water-filled iPod anytime soon, though, as the research team still faces significant hurdles in actually assembling the nanowires that would make up such a drive with the proper density as well as developing a method of efficiently reading and writing data.
British prof warns nanotech products are potentially dangerous
While we're eagerly awaiting the day that we can lounge around while armies of nanobots perform their magical alchemy on our garbage and turn it into hot cellphones and delicious Big Macs, one British scientist is warning that the medical implications of nanotechnology have yet to be properly explored, despite numerous products already finding their way to market. Specifically, Edinburgh University Professor and environmental health expert Anthony Seaton argues that almost nothing is known about the potential effect of inhaling nanoparticles, likening the situation to the dangerous particle-emitting asbestos that was installed in buildings prior to 1970 without a second thought. According to some estimates, there are already 200 products containing nanoparticles available to consumers, with hundreds more expected to hit shelves this year -- but Seaton claims that so far, recommended nano testing "simply hasn't happened." Damn, way to ruin our nanobot fantasies, Professor Letdown.
Fujitsu spins off quantum dot laser firm QD Laser
More exciting news from the world of venture capital: following Philips' announcement yesterday of a VC-funded spinoff to develop thin Electrowetting displays, Fujitsu has announced that it's launching its own new subsidiary with the help of Japanese general trading company Mitsui Ventures. Tasked with commercializing nascent quantum dot laser technology, the creatively-titled QD Laser Inc. will leverage quantum dot semiconductor crystallization techniques and laser design processes developed by Fujitsu to enter the optical LAN market. Quantum dot lasers offer superior networking benefits to conventional semiconductor lasers due to their higher speeds, lower power consumption, and ability to operate in a greater range of temperatures.
Nanogenerators turn you into a duracell
For anyone who thought gyms with workout equipment that generate electricity were a good idea, prepare to be one-upped. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working on metallic nanowires as nanogenerators that transform bodily kinetic energy into pure electricity. We were all thinking, oh, sweet, power-generating nanotech clothes. Naw dude, these peeps want to implant the nanogenerators right in your corporeal form for maximum energy output. Thought your mom got mad when you got a tattoo or piercing? Try explaining subcutaneous power generating zinc oxide nanowires.
UC Berkeley's disease-detecting E-Nose
The last time we checked in on electronic nose technology, hospitals were using the still-boutique devices for very specialized institutional work such as monitoring nasty bacteria outbreaks. Recent breakthroughs by a company called Nanomix, however, could make E-Noses a standard tool in every patient examination room, with UC Berkeley researchers using the company's tech to design cheap devices that can "sniff out" disease-laden molecules in samples a person's breath. Nanomix's "Sensation" detection platform uses multiple, configurable carbon nanotube-based sensors to instantly provide a reading from a puff or air, although the exact diseases that the battery-powered devices will be programmed to detect have not been announced. We do know that the first application of this tech will probably be for carbon dioxide detection, allowing emergency personnel to immediately determine the efficacy of breathing tubes used to stabilize patients on board an ambulance.
