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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Month: January 2002

Explosive silicon in MEMS?

Mr_Farlops writes "Serendipity struck for chemists at the University of California, San Diego, after a chip of porous silicon, laced with gadolinium nitrate, exploded after being scratched. An article in the EE Times describes the nature of this discovery and speculates about the possible uses of the substance in microscopic rockets and explosive charges. It also sets the mind daydreaming about tiny fuses made of nested nanotubes filled with fuel and oxidizers."

An interview with James Gimzewski on BioMedNet

An interesting interview with James Gimzewski, currently a researcher at the UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute, appeared on 18 January 2002 in the HMS Beagle online magazine hosted by BioMedNet. (Note: access is free, but registration is required.) Gimzewski won the 1997 Foresight Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology for Experimental Work as a member of a team from the IBM Research Division Zurich Research Laboratory, for work using scanning probe microscopes to manipulate molecules. In the interview, he also talks about his nanotechnology research at IBM and his role as a co-founder of the Institute of Nanotechnology in the UK before coming to UCLA/CNSI. Based on his comments in the interview, Gimzewski seems to be yet another scientist in the field who appears to be both excited by the possibilities of advanced nanotechnology, and dismissive of them . . .

Article cautions about but adds to the VC nanotech buzz

from the listening-to-the-buzz dept.
An article on the investment-oriented 123Jump website ("Nanotech: New Buzzword in the VC Arena", by Vanya Maneva, 21 January 2002) presents an engaging if largely superficial overview of the current investment climate generated by the increasing interest — and hype ñ surrounding nanotechnology:
"[N]anotech seems to be getting ready for prime time. Researchers, private companies and government agencies all over the world have all been recently rushing to gain leadership in this exciting race. More importantly, many venture capitalists see nanotech as the next big growth area, and not wanting to miss the 'nano' wave, have seriously begun investing in it."
The author concludes: "While bullish on nanotechís promise in general, and confident that it will lure its share of investment dollars, scientists and analysts caution that the sector may be a long way from practical success. Nanotechís impact on the market will depend on which sectors it becomes important [sic] and when that is likely to take place."

Tips for Bringing Nanotech Products to Market

Neil Gordon of Sygertech writes "Sygertech, CMP-Cientifica and nABACUS have released a white paper entitled "Tips for Bringing Nanotech Products to Market". While each nanotech company has its own unique circumstances and challenges, some of the things that can increase the chance of getting a customer to buy a significant quantity of nanomaterials, devices or applications are described. The paper can be downloaded at no cost from www.sygertech.com."

Editor's Note: In addition to the above item, you can also find an earlier white paper, "Five Ingredients for Financing Nanotech Ventures". Both documents, though brief, offer useful information.

MIT Researchers Envision 'NanoWalker' Robots

scionic submitted this item in NewsFactor Sci-Tech covering work by robotics researcher Sylvain Martel at the Nano-Robotics Research Group within the MIT BioInstrumentation Laboratory, who has created small mobile robots, which he calls NanoWalkers. Previous coverage of the NanoWalkers was posted on 20 December 2001.

Towards the single molecule transistor

waynerad spotted an item in Electronic Engineering Times ("Towards the single molecule transistor", by Nolan Fell, 24 January 2002) that provides a brief update on work by Bell Labs' physicists Hendrik Schön and Shenan Bao, who report they have developed a FET combining both insulator and semiconductor layers within a single organic molecule. "The combination of insulating and semiconducting parts could lead to true single-molecule transistors," said Schön. "We need now to develop a more complex molecular design and connect them to some kind of contact." A technical report appeared in the 14 January 2002 issue of Applied Physics Letters. Earlier Nanodot posts on the Bell Labs molecular transistors appeared on 17 December and 8 November 2001.

HP-UCLA team announces another molectronics patent

from the steady-progress dept.
According to a Hewlett-Packard Company press release (23 January 2002), the collaborative research team led by James Heath, a UCLA chemistry professor and staff researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), and Stanley Williams and Philip Kuekes at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories has announced another advance in their research program to develop computing systems based on molecular electronic components, which has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent Office. HP was previously awarded patents for related molectronics work in July 2001 and October 2000.

Additional coverage of the research and the new patent can be found in this Associated Press article ("Advance Made in Molecular Computing", 23 January 2002) posted on the New York Times website (free access with registration); and this article from Reuters News Service ("HP Says Atom-Sized Computer Chips a Lot Closer", 23 January 2002). Many other newsfeeds are reporting the story (and thank you to those who submitted posts), but most are mere rewrites of the HP press release, or the AP or Reuters wire story.

Heath, Williams and Kuekes have been making steady progress toward their goal of developing molecular computing systems (see posts on Nanodot from 26 October, 17 July, 18 July, and 13 April 2001 and 18 August 2000, and articles in Foresight Update issues #44 and #42). The team was jointly awarded the 2000 Foresight Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology for Experimental Work. Some interesting background on this research team can be found in a profile of Jim Heath ("Speed Demon", by Gary Taubes) that appeared in UCLA Magazine in the Spring 2000 issue (and therefore is about two years out of date); in this interview with Stan Williams (also about two years old) and this feature article ("Molecules that compute") from 1999, both on the HP Labs website.

CNSI offers short course on creating commercial products

from the how-to dept.
The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension program and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) will present a three-day short course on "Integrating BioMEMS and Nanotechnology into a Commercial Product" on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, from 15 to 17 April 2002. The course will present state-of-the-art research and technology in microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) and nanotechnology, with specific emphasis and applications in the biomedical field, and look at research into the construction of a hybrid organic/inorganic nanoscale systems, the basic mechanics of motor protein motion, and the technological foundation for functionally integrating manufactured devices. Four CNSI professors, James Gimzewski, James Heath, Carlo Montemagno, and Chih-Ming Ho, will participate and lecture on the various technologies. The course will address the commercialization of bio-MEMs and nanotechnology and the involvement of small and large companies within this emerging field.

The course fee is $1395. For more information on the course and registration, go to the course web page.

Canadian National Post takes a long, skeptical look at nanotech

from the nanotech,-eh dept.
An extensive article in the Ontario, Canada National Post ("Small Miracles", by Margaret Munro, 21 January 2002) provides an interesting, if somewhat skeptical, look at nanotechnology in Canada and the United States. While dismissing speculations about advanced molecular nanotechnology as "the stuff of fiction", Munro writes "there is clearly a revolution afoot", but:

Scientists say the revolution will be gradual. "The hype is just that," says Robert Wolkow, a research officer at the National Research Council in Ottawa and one of the country's leading nanotechnologists. "Many really remarkable things will happen. But they're not going to happen next year or even in five years," he says. A more realistic time frame is 10 to 20 years before nanotechnology dramatically changes our lives. But when the revolution comes, says Wolkow, "it will be fantastic."

In addition to profiling a number of interesting nanotech research projects, the article briefly mentions the contention over the feasibility of molecular assemblers that resulted from the September 2001 special nanotech issue of Scientific American, and quotes skeptical Canadian researchers.

Business leaders in Taiwan support nanotech programs

from the money-talks dept.
According to an article in the Taipei Times ("Business leaders learn about nanotechnology", by Chiu Yu-tzu, 22 January 2002), business representatives meeting in southern Taiwan on 21 January said that full support from the government and research organizations would be crucial to future industrial transformation, including nanotechnology.

More than 500 representatives of diverse industries attended a panel discussion held by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Kaohsiung to hear the latest information about nanotechnology research. According to the report, "Representatives said that they sensed signs of an economic recovery, but what they needed urgently was full support from both the government and research organizations to promote nanotechnology, which is innovative and will soon be closely linked to daily life. "

Highlighting the accelerating pace of nanotechnology activity in Taiwan, the meeting closely follows the dedication of a new national Center for Nanotechnology and rapid progress toward the development of an integrated nanotech development program (see Nanodot posts from 22 January, 10 January, and 7 January 2002).

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