Blog: Dan E. Linstedt

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Latest Nanotech Highlights

There is a lot of buzz in the Nanotech sector these days. Many developments have come forth in just the past year alone. Things that people have said can't be done for another five to ten years have been accomplished; everything from self-assembling structures, to utilization of motor molecules to move things around. There are a few things that have caught my eye, and in this blog I will recap just a few of these.

The first is: "Neuroscientists break code on sight" In this unbelievable article, the neuroscientists actually figured out (at least started to figure out) a way to encode images, or found some of the mechanisms within the brain that are responsible for encoding images that are seen.

Why is this important to me?
From a business perspective, it could mean that a. we could build better visual recognition systems, b. we could encrypt or encode images in extremely compressed formats. Imagine, if all we needed were the "neuron imaging program" to rebuild the image from a very small set of data, then this would change the entire nature of compression / decompression. In other words - what does it take to constitute a particular image with precise information? Notice that the article houses the images in black and white, there must be another component of the neural network that processes colors, however this shows a recognition of depth through hue and saturation.

From a business intelligence perspective it could mean a. much better data visualization, b. new ways of abstracting information, c. a combination of form and function where data points represent the neural network - resulting in "learning something new" rather quickly. Think about it this way: what if we constructed the worlds ONLY "universal data model" with specific functions attached to each point, and then by lighting up those points with different intensities (applicability scores) we could end up with an image or a thought or a fact? This is the way I see this particular advancement. More on how that might work, later...

The next story comes from a company I've been watching for the past two years: Nanosys.
"Nanosys Announces Issued Patent Covering Fundamental Nanowire Heterostructures"
This story is also interesting in what Nanosys has accomplished. When we read the intro blurb about the development, notice what Nanosys says about the application of this technology:

"This technology covers a broad variety of devices including Field Effect Transistors (FET), light emitting devices including Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and nanolasers, solar cells, thermoelectric devices, optical detectors, and chemical and biological sensors."

What's interesting here is that Nanosys has proven with this one device, that nanotechnology does indeed cross many different aspects of life; from the technology sector, to the chemical and biological sector. This underscores the importance of convergence, something I've been blogging on for over a year. The next quote from this story raises some very interesting questions in my mind...

"The technology to integrate different materials at the nanoscale enables us to create nanostructures that perform as devices with multiple functions rather than just materials," said Calvin Chow, Nanosys' Chief Executive Officer. "This significantly increases the value of our nanostructures while simplifying their incorporation into products."

The questions I have are:
1. If nanostructures enable the creation of multiple devices with multiple functions, then when does a device begin and a material end?
2. Will we be able to tell the difference between a nanodevice and a nanomaterial?
3. Is it safe to say that a nanomaterial is now a nanodevice and vice-versa?

Assuming that a nanomaterial is now also a nanodevice at the same time, then we now have the ability to create the product (or part of it) known as Wellstone (Hacking Matter, Will McCarthy). We could also conceivably create a piece of "wood" made of nanomaterial, that can change its' composition to a piece of fabric or steel based on programmatic arrangement. Maybe these nanowires are not yet that advanced. Maybe we only have the ability to create a "computationally smart coffee table." None-the-less this is a very important discovery.

Here's a fun one: "Molecules that suck"
The interesting part of this, is the notion that molecules can "pick up" and then be told to re-arrange, and "release" other molecules. In other words, it sounds as if it's temporary bonding. If I extrapolate the thought process, this could potentially provide a battery operated surface for gloves and shoes, where it can "bond" with metal molecules, say a steel wall, then released, and re-bonded again. Could it lead to nano-devices for "walking up walls"?

And finally: "Study shows nanoparticles could damage plant life"
This article is very interesting, in that it discusses how nanoparticles actually damage other natural world particles. It brings to the fore-front (in my mind) the potential danger of nanotech. In this case, they've actually shown that nanotech can in fact have harmful effects on the natural world. They admit to not knowing "how" this happens yet, but one can speculate that it's like clogging of the pores in your skin, that the aluminum nanoparticles block the water absorption pores of the plant root, or maybe that they are absorbed as a part of the water and then somehow block the oxygen creation process within the plant.

We are already aware of the dangers of aluminum particles in the human body, causing everything from memory loss to Alzheimer’s disease - basically that the aluminum is absorbed through the skin, and lodges itself in the brain and blocks normal activity. It's no surprise that a metal like this is dangerous to plants as well. But it begs the question: are there circumstances where trace amounts of aluminum nanoparticles could be helpful? And if so, where should they be applied and under what circumstances? If there was a way to keep them from floating through the air when "sprayed on", maybe we have the next generation weed killer, as long as we don't inhale or get it on our skin.

Nanotech itself is a phenomenal field of discovery and advancement, each of these pieces I've included highlights different areas of nanotech and their applications or the affects there-of. It will only become more exciting as we dive in to next year, and begin to see business applications of these components in every-day life.

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