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Small Wonders
Peter Hébert
04/01/2004
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Nanotechnology is shaping up to be the most significant
government-funded science initiative since the space race, surpassing even the
Human Genome Project. In total, governments worldwide will provide about $4
billion of funding for nanotechnology projects this year. These projects may
affect a host of industries, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, energy,
semiconductors and electronics. The field promises technology advances from the
most mundane (scratch-proof kitchen and bathroom surfaces that shed dirt and
never need cleaning) to the incredible (computers the size of a sugar cube that
can hold the entire Library of Congress). The field is already grinding out
useful advances, such as fabrics made from nano-whiskers that are impervious to
stains but feel luxuriously soft.
Nanotechnology has had its greatest
initial impact in the field of manufacturing. In 2001 Toyota introduced a bumper
made of nano-composites that is 60 percent lighter than existing materials and
twice as resistant to denting and scratching. Nano start-up Inframat developed
nanoscale ceramic coatings that prevent barnacles and mollusks from adhering to
ship hulls and submarine components. The Navy estimates the product has saved it
$1 million in maintenance costs.
Over the long term, nanotechnology is
expected to revolutionize medicine, creating new precision methods for cancer
therapy that will not kill healthy cells. At MIT’s new $50 million Institute of
Soldier Nanotechnologies (a research entity, sponsored by the Army and a handful
of corporations such as Raytheon and DuPont, that is attempting to use
nanotechnology to “enhance soldier survivability”), researchers are working to
develop synthetic muscle. They also are developing nanoscale sensors that could
be used to monitor vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, levels of
hydration and chemical signs of stress.
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