Category: Nanodot

from the our-old-friends-at-SciAm dept.
Robert Trombatore writes "Scientific American has come a long way in the past few years from when they basically took the position that any of the MNT technologies Foresight founder Eric Drexler proposed were improbable at best. While they still aren't ready to leap to defend MNT, the tone of this article is much more positive in comparison. Starting with an overview of recent breakthroughs in nanotech and then going into detail about 3 specific breakthroughs, this piece helps illustrate just how far "mainstream" scientific acceptance of MNT has come. There are a couple of disparaging comments such as "In June, nanotechnologists from the Foresight Institute–a think tank where Drexler is chair–followed suit, issuing their own prophylactic guidelines to stop goo. But other scientists–many of whom air their views in news items that accompany Science's special section–dismiss the grim predictions." This shows that while Scientific American has come a long way, the editors still feel it necessary to make light of some of the issues surrounding nanotech."

from the worth-paying-for dept.
The Asian Technology Information Program in Tokyo has a Nanotechnology Project of great use to those attempting to track what is happening in that part of the world. Much of the material listed is available only to subscribers, but lots of useful info is free, including abstracts of all reports and at least some presentations. Serious nanotechnology organizations will want to subscribe, but much can be gleaned from the free Nano News headlines, e.g. Japan's urgent effort to catch up with the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative.

from the can-we-make-the-space-elevator-now? dept.
Bryan Hall writes "An article in Scientific American reports that scientists have developed a new process for spinning continuous carbon fibers and then tie them into tight knots without breaking. The article elaborates: 'Scientists used single-wall carbon nanotubes, in the form of bundles of a few nanotubes, as the raw material in their novel manufacturing process….And because the tubes were all aligned in the direction of flowing solution when they again stuck together, they formed a nanotube mesh. Slowly pulling the mesh from the bath made it collapse into a high-density ribbon. Nanotechnologists have suggested a number of potential applications for such materials over the years, ranging from tethers connecting satellites to Earth to nanotube-based supercapacitors and electrochemically driven artificial muscles. Now they have a seemingly reliable, readily scalable method for producing them.'
The full article shows photos of the process." CP: Thanks also to Robert Trombatore who also submitted this story.