Physicist suggests nanotech to deal with heat death of universe

String theorist Michio Kaku suggests molecular nanotechnology as one way to deal with the heat death of the universe: "There is nothing in the rules of science to prevent the regeneration of an advanced civilisation from the molecular level. For a dying civilisation trapped in a freezing universe, this may be the last hope." The size of his proposed devices seems to vary, however. Read more for the full quote.

Nanotubes that Form 'Nanocarpets'

Roland Piquepaille writes "By mixing a salt compound with an hydrocarbon, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have created molecules able to sense their environment. Then they used these molecules to develop self-assembling nanotubes which look like that 'nanocarpets'. These nanostructures can change colors when their environment is modified and can be trained to kill bacteria, such as E. coli. Now, they plan to develop products that would both detect and destroy biological weapons. Read more for selected excerpts about these nanostructures acting as biosensors."

Ideas for a fresher Foresight logo?

Keck writes "Foresight's logo has served us well for many years, and I'm sure many long-time members are very attached to it. But I've noticed on orkut that it's one of the duller logos around these days, entirely lacking in color and textural depth, and relatively text-heavy. Perhaps many would like to scoff at such superficial considerations, and it could even be argued that the current logo should remain defiantly retro, as it subtly testifies to Foresight's remarkable age and consistent message. But I'd like to spark a discussion about it.

Can and should the existing logo by reinvigorated by at least adding some color? Should the texty-ness also be lowered? Are there any more radical suggestions for a new logo, perhaps incorporating a bio-medical motif? Or should we just leave well enough alone? What do you think?"

Nano-buzzword based marketing

Dr_Barnowl writes "A somewhat dubious product was recently released by BatMax (See here for technical details.) It was apparently convincing enough to be posted by a Slashdot moderator (here).

The company basically claims it can drastically improve the performance of your mobile phone battery with what amounts to a stick-on decal. The spurious and unscientific descriptions of the technology (allegedly) involved are nothing special, apart from the association with nanotechnology.

It would seem that it's not just manufacturers of sunblock, tennis rackets and trousers that have cottoned on to the "magical" properties of putting a *10-9 in your product blurb. If this becomes commonplace, what kind of damage will it do to the funding prospects of projects promising similarly outrageous (but scientifically feasible) benefits as a result of genuine MNT?"

Ed. Note: Hmmm… a "nano-ceramic" — aren't most ceramics "nano-" in nature?

Unraveling the Big Debate over Small Machines

Anonymous Coward writes "

Behind the public face of nanotechnology — the science fiction novels, environmental doomsday prophecies and excited research news — a debate has been evolving and swirling for the past decade around a fundamental question: Can tiny machines build things useful to humans by moving molecules or even individual atoms?

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Market research for nanoscale memories

Brian Wang writes "By 2011, the market for next-generation, nonvolatile memories will be worth $65.7 billion, according to a new report from research firm NanoMarkets LC on Wednesday (August 18, 2004).

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Nanotechnology-Based Solid Lubricant Promising

David Kanaan writes "Nanotechnology-Based Solid Lubricant NanoLub Shows Promising Performance for Space Applications


NanoLub surpasses minimum limits for space durability

New York, USA, August 5, 2004. ApNano Materials Inc. (www.apnano.com), a provider of nanotechnology-based products, today announced that its proprietary product NanoLub, the worldís first commercial nanotechnology-based solid lubricant, has significantly surpassed an outgassing screening test for space applications. This aerospace qualification test, in accordance with international specifications, was conducted under a simulated space environment by the Space Technology Division Materials Group of the Soreq Nuclear Research Center in Israel.

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The Daintiest Dynamos

Anonymous Coward writes "Feynman's vision has finally begun to materialize, thanks to ever more sophisticated microelectronics. Micro- and nanoscale machines are poised to become a multibillion-dollar market as they are incorporated in all kinds of electronic devices.

But, again, at very small scales, chemical batteries can't provide enough juice to power these micromachines. As you reduce the size of such a battery, the amount of stored energy goes down exponentially.

Researchers developing sensors the size of a grain of sand had to attach them to batteries they couldn't make smaller than a shirt button. The nuclear microbatteries we are developing won't require refueling or recharging and will last as long as the half-life of the radioactive source, at which point the power output will decrease by a factor of two.

For the IEEE Spectrum article click here."

Ed. note: This reminds me of the Gd148 power source for nanorobots (Nanomedicine Vol I, Sec 6.3.7, pgs 156-159). It begs the issue that a lot more people are going to have to become a lot more comfortable with radioactive power sources.

Nanobot to build microprocessors

Anonymous Coward writes "The Inquirer posted an article stating that Applied Micro Systems will team up with US company Micromechatronics to create a highly miniaturised set of robots. These robots will be used to build microprocessors and are appearantly capable of moving in nanometers. A potential for "top down" production of further miniaturized nanobots seem probable."

Ed. note: The article seems a bit thin and nikkei.net appears to require registration. Does anyone have any more detailed information? At 3 cm2 this is quite a way from "nanorobots" even if it can move in nm increments. And with chips pushing down into the 70nm and smaller range it is questionable how "nanorobots" of this size could be useful.

Nanosphere presents Success of Novel Technology

Wendy Emanuel writes "Northbrook, Ill. ñ January 26, 2005 ñ Researchers at Nanosphere, Inc. today reported unprecedented benefits in the companyís technology for the medical analysis of human DNA. Nanosphereís nanoparticle-based technology allows for rapid, highly-sensitive and specific Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) genotyping, which is the direct detection of a particular gene and the extent to which it is normal or mutated.

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