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The Korea Science and Technology together with the Korea University has made a research that uncovered the effects of the nano-particles in killing bacteria and germs. However, their research showed that the nano-silver particles have microbe particles that are known to damage plants and animal cells that have been exposed to these particles.

Right after the research done, an alarm was raised to many washer companies and one of them was the Samsung Electronics which has been very active in their promotion of the Silver Nano Health System in washers and their air conditioners.

Gu Man-bok, professor in the bioscience department of Korea University stated that their evaluation of the effects of the silver nano-particles on different organisms as well as the environment is now on going. They further stated that the experiments the department has been doing on rice fishes have shown that the toxic on these organisms has been high in concentration.

Gu further stated that his laboratory has joined hand in hand with the Ministry of Environment to do a research about the silver nano-particles effect on different forms of life and this was considered as a delayed effort due to the fact that many consumers have already purchased washers with this technology and they have already been exposed to these kinds of products. Silver-nano cutlery, electronics, clothes, toys, baby bottles and the face masks are also now being sold in the market.

In lieu of these researches, the government of USA is planning to ban the selling of these products starting next year of evidence of safety is not provided. However, the government of South Korea stated that it was not in their plans to regulate such products.

According to Yoon Jun-won, a researcher of National Institute of Environmental Research said that it is too early to decide whether they are going to regulate certain products or not because as of this time, there aren’t proven bad effects that are coming from these products.

For long, silver has been known to have the antiseptic effect and because of this, many Greeks in the olden days had used silver vessels for drinking water storage. Koreans have also chosen silver to make their chopsticks.

Because of this fact about silver, the modern technology has also maximized the used of silver as antibiotic. Through small particles with bigger surface areas, the particles can react with other materials more actively that is why many companies have taken advantage of the use of sliver particles that measure one nanometer.

In order to know the effects of the size of particles in sterilizing, Gu together with his colleagues has used a bacterium which was genetically modified to alter the damage that was incurred. Amazingly, it was out that super-oxide radical commonly described as deleterious molecules were produced by silver nano-particles and these radicals were not produced from normal silver ions.

LG Electronics as well as Samsung created washers with the silver-nano particles technology because of its power to kill bacteria. In fact, silver nano particles really kill bacteria, however; many scientists are still not certain of the safety it gives to humans. Hwang Ee-taek said that the research field is still in the elementary stage.

Another author who was also a part of the research said that many researchers are starting to become careful and aware of the results of the silver-nano particles to humans simply because of the worries that companies concerned may give them. Accordingly, this issue is such a sensitive one especially for big companies like Samsung.

An academic journal named Small published this research in March.

Nanotechnology Industries

Single units of a nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Nanotechnology in medicine makes use of nanometer sized chips to store and interprets high density quality information. It shows desired utility in accordance with pre-programmed instructions on target tissues. It is increasingly being applied to coax regulation of functional systems at the molecular level. This micro-miniature technology is increasingly finding its way to cure diseases with out the use of surgery. Most of our ailments are the external manifestations of damage caused at the cellular and molecular levels. Rectification to these damages can not be undertaken by conventional surgical instruments too large and crude for the cellular and molecular level manipulation.

Currently when much research is being carried out in cell biology and genetics at its basic precision and accurate level, the call of the hour is devising of a technology that is able to cater to the structure and functions at this level. The nanotechnology is being engineered to intervene as molecular-machines which are sophisticated and well controlled at the unit level. With the use of this technology the micro-molecules injected in the human body will be able to remove obstructions of any kind, function as sub cellular organelles, and kill cancer cells and much more. Nano engineers in Singapore have engineered a polymerized contact lens which is capable of will releasing small amounts of medicine to treat eye related ailments such as glaucoma.

The mechanism that will function behind nanotechnology at cellular level is by way of designing and erecting a programmable self-replicating manufacturing devise capable of identifying defective cells whilst circulating in the circulating system. These devices which are programmable and controllable can detect cancer cells by sensing differential environment between the normal cells and cancer cells and any other unwanted structures. Nanotechnology will be used to supply oxygen to tissues having minimized blood supply due to any of the blood loss reasons. Scientists at MIT have used an artificially synthesized polymer attached to a specific gene coding for the bacterial toxic. The polymer acts like a suicide bomber and attacks the altered cells and gradually destroys it in the process.

Drug delivery to the specific target cells with the help of nano sized particles is more efficient due to its enhanced properties of solubility and absorption when attached to a molecular carrier such as a polymer. The bio-chips making use of nanotechnology will also facilitate the scrutinizing of levels of biochemical in the blood stream and release suitable drug accordingly.

Nanotechnology Associations

In the recent years, there has been a tremendous development in the field of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is a field of applied science, which deals in building machines and bots at microscopic levels. Due to development in nanotechnology, there have been many developments in various fields of science, especially in the field of medicine.

With the help of nanotechnology, carrying out a complex heart surgery is very much possible. Doctors have started making use of nanobots to cure certain diseases. These nanobots also help in rectifying certain disorders in the human body.

Nanotechnology in Drug Development:

Recently, scientists are developing effective and better drug delivery systems using nanotechnology. Scientists are using nanoparticles to design a drug delivery system that may improve the pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties of a drug and help better processes such as Drug screening. Nanaoparticles have remarkable properties that drastically enhance the drug delivery. Due to their microscopic sizes, nanoparticles get an easy access in the cells.

There are numerous developments in the drug delivery owing to nanotechnology. One such development using nanotechnology is the transfer of drugs into the cytoplasm of cells through the cell membrane. This is an important development, because to hinder certain diseases from the body, the drug needs to enter the cell membrane.

To make a drug molecule effective in the body, it needs a triggered response. To do so, scientists are using nanotechnology. Scientists are developing drugs using nanotechnology that automatically activate, once they enter the human body.

Many researchers believe that it is possible to develop a drug delivery system that may prove beneficial in treating cancer and infectious diseases using nanotechnology. By far, they have identified six types of nano-enabled delivery systems that have considerable potential in treating cancer and other infectious diseases.

With the help of nanotechnology, scientists have developed injectable drugs, which are more pleasing for the patients, who receive them and at the same time are easy to administer. Better opportunities are coming up in the development of implantable delivery systems, due to the use of nanotechnology, especially in terms of injectable drugs.

With so much of development taking place in the field of drug delivery systems, researchers believe that in the near future nano-enabled medicines will have a tremendous evolution and will produce true nanomedicines.

Nanotechnology Associations

I was speaking with a friend the other night about his great grandfather. His great grandfather was born in 1875. He lived until 1965. Can you imagine the technology that this man saw come online? Let me name a few: the typewriter, the electric dental drill, the telephone, the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, the hearing aid, the electric fan, the dishwasher, the escalator, the airplane, the Model T automobile, the air conditioner, the defibrillator, the atomic bomb, the electric guitar, the nuclear submarine, nylon, the polio vaccine, and the laser. He died right when the first minicomputer was coming to fruition. All of that in the span of his lifetime. Which leads me to the topic of this article. Technology has completely changed the way we live. And technological advances have accelerated at unbelievable speeds. Technology is converging in ways no one could have foreseen. I want to highlight some of the most interesting technologies out there. These are technologies that will change the world, for good and bad.

Nano Technology

Probably the most interesting and frightening of the emerging technologies is nano technology. Nano technology is a cross disciplinary field that deals with building and synthesizing materials at scales of 100nm or less. Nano technology usually works in one of two ways. It either pulls smaller parts together to build or it breaks bigger parts down. The parts are then used to form smaller, new materials. But why is nano technology so important?

Nano technology is important because it will have massive effects across every area of life. As I write this, researchers are working on a nano particle to target cancer cells in lungs. In 2004, Rice University tested gold nano particle cancer treatment. In this treatment, these 150 nanometer gold particles were injected into the blood stream of cancerous mice. Gold particles at this size pass into tumors, but not healthy tissue. The researchers then passed infrared through the mice. The tumorous cells absorbed the infrared, heated up, and were destroyed. They are also working on quantum dots that allow doctors to easily identify multiple diseases quickly and accurately. But the uses don’t stop there. Nanotechnology will drive down the scale of electronics. This will lead incredibly small devices. The applications are limitless. And you can bet that the military will be clamoring for nano technology. The military is looking to have numerous nanotechnologies online by the year 2015. Such advances include performance enhancing nanotechnology that aids bodily functions. These will include response times, oxygen use, and heightened senses. But nanotechnology can also be used for reconnaissance and combat. Nanobots could scout areas without being seen. They could also enter into enemies for espionage. They could kill targets from within the host’s body. The possibilities are frightening.

Alternative Energy & Fuels

When gas prices skyrocketed this past year, many people suddenly took an interest in alternative energy and fuels. And because demand rose, companies suddenly found themselves forced to take interest. Most of the common arguments for alternative energy and fuels center around issues of pollution, cost, dependence, and jobs.

What most people don’t realize is that alternative energy and fuels always have environmental effects. This can be in the form of heat generation, air pollutants, waste by-products, land usage, extraction, etc. Instead, we have to talk about pros and cons around each type of energy and fuel. There is no silver bullet. Costs, dependence, and jobs also vary depending on the energy type.

There are a host of alternative energies being tested. Wind powered energy plants are already in place in many parts of the world. Solar energy production has taken huge steps forward with the help of nano technology. One such company is Nanosolar. Nanosolar is producing solar cells that are 100 times thinner than conventional cells. Not only are the cells cheaper to produce, but they also convert the solar energy much more efficiently. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature differences in the ocean layers to produce energy. And OTEC can utilize this colder water (36 degree F cooler) in other things like on shore agriculture and refrigeration. And the list goes on.

Massive interest was generated in alternative fuels this past year when gas prices hit record levels. New developments in battery technology could help. One such development is Millennium Cell’s hydrogen battery technology. This technology differs greatly from traditional rechargeable batteries in that it’s instantly rechargeable. It also has a much great efficiency for energy conversion, so it is much smaller and lighter. There is also greater reuse efficiency since you don’t need to replace the entire battery. You only need to replace the energy module. Developments are continuing in biodiesel, electric, hydrogen, methanol, etc. I think there could be some serious future synergy between nano technology and alternative energy.

“Bionetics”

This is my name for the incorporation of technology into the body. The dermal display is a great indication of things to come. Though I have yet to find a working demo version of this concept, I have no doubt that it will become a reality. The display would be driven by millions of nanobots. These nanobots would display light when touched. This would print a display onto your hand, or wherever the nanobot display would be housed. And this is where it gets really interesting. The display nanobots would be connected to millions of other fixed and mobile nanobots throughout the patient’s body. This would give instant readings on hundreds of vital statistics. Again, nanotechnology plays a strong role here.

The bionics revolution is already underway. There have been four major cases of robotic limbs recently, the latest being a woman. The robotic limbs take advantage of the functional nerve endings in the limb stump. These nerve endings are used to actuate the robotic limb and to provide feedback to the brain. More money is being poured into robotic limbs every year.

“Functional bionetics” are implants that enhance our lives. And you may be surprised to know that people are actively doing this as I write. People are inserting tiny electronics in their bodies that will unlock their front doors and their cars. The same technology is being used to unlock computers. But it doesn’t stop there. There is talk of implanting devices that will carry health information. You could be carted into a hospital totally unconscious and they would be able to access all of your past medical history. Most of this is done through RFID technology.

“Bionetic networks” will be networks of connected bionetic devices. This would allow people to share sensation, feelings, and communication. If this sounds completely fictional, I invite you to consider the work of Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, England. He has implanted an extra-sensory device that interfaces with one put in his wife. They were implanted in their arms. The first experiments are aimed at exchanging sensory inputs, like pain. The hope is to extend that to other, more complicated neurological processes like thoughts and emotion. Obviously, that would drastically change relationships and indeed the world. Forget about your teens text messaging, maybe they will be brain linking in the future. Now that’s really scary!

What will we be able to say came online in our lifetimes? I’m sure we could already list a lot of important technologies. But keep your eyes out for these emerging technologies. They are set to change the rules of our world. These technologies will upset economies, change military tactics, empower people, and be used to control others. Keep an eye on them.

Nanotechnology Industries

If you have ever thought of having an acupuncture treatment but have not for fear of needles, there is no need to fear now. In a new form of treatment silicone chips are placed on the skin instead of piercing it with acupuncture needles.

How do the Silicone Chips Work?

When I first experienced the Nano chips on my skin I felt a tingling, hot sensation in each acupuncture body point where the chip rested. While the chip retained its coolness the body responded with the ebb and flow of heat and a feeling of relaxing buzz, similar to when Chi is activated with acupuncture needles. Dr. Xu, co-inventor of the Health Recovery Chips and a practitioner of acupuncture in Toronto, explained the process as the permeation of vibrational signals that flow through the designated acupuncture channels to blood, to the organs, muscles, to all the cells of the body.

What is Nano Technology?

Already widely used in many fields of applied science, nano technology facilitates the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale in order to construct devices or re-fashion materials within that scale. Using North American Nano technology as a basis, manufacturing experts in China have produced a health recovery system that mimics acupuncture with needle. The manufacturing process takes place on the minuscule levels where common materials are influenced so that their application can achieve definite results. Eight years in development, the research, design, manufacturing and testing process of the Nano health recovery method reached its goal of capturing the essence of what acupuncture needles initiate in a treatment. The company literature lists the Nano Acupuncture benefits as follows:

Safe Convenient Effective Simple Economical No side effects Needle free Portable

Acupuncture is a major part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has been practiced in China for thousands of years. As a primary or secondary health system it is growing in all parts of the world in spite of the fact that science can not explain how it works. However, a documented research shows that during a treatment the brain releases endorphins which produce pain relief and a sense of relaxation (which in turn helps the body repair itself). Based on these results Acupuncture is now regarded as an astoundingly effective system of healing.

Hospitals using Nano Acupuncture in China

The Nano health recovery method is designed to be practiced according to the theory of Chinese Medicine. Tested by using double-blind studies, Nano chips are now a standard in a dozen hospitals in China, where the treatment results using them are found to be as beneficial as those using acupuncture needles. Here in the West, more and more Chinese Medicine practitioners are taking advantage of this non-invasive method, particularly for patients who fear needles. Also, in a busy clinic the Nano Chips can save time and expense for they are easy to apply and never lose their potency.

For a family and for all those who prefer using self healing energy, the Nano health system could be considered as a holistic multidimensional first aid kit. It comes with instructions and an acupuncture map booklet for various kinds of pain, flu, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other stress related illnesses.

Nanotechnology Center

Introduction

Researching an area related to Nanotechnology can lead to new fields of technology and discovery. Examining the overall subject of Nanotechnology can certainly lead us beyond the original expectations. You can look at Nanotechnology as a whole, compare the results across large areas of research in this field that have involved different people with different backgrounds, various institutes and various organisations, as well as the results of commercial businesses already dealing and working in this field. Many of the results would be unexpected and, consequently, would raise large numbers of questions with various possible answers; in a field many still consider merely a part of scientific research rather than a part of the actual engineering and commercial side.

Consequently, the general view related to Nanotechnology has been borne out here as a result of what has been done and achieved so far worldwide, out of genuine conviction that Nanotechnology is the way forward for a better future for everyone concerned.

The Importance of Nanotechnology

Consider the question: “Why should Nanotechnology work better than any other form of technology?” The answer can be very simple. When we understand the structure of matter, then we can manipulate it and control it “from the inside”, which should give much better results than just dealing with matter “from the outside”.

How can it be concluded that Nanotechnology is the answer, when we still do not either have the means to use it in commercial environments, or have fast, accurate and cheap ways of applying it? Perhaps this is partly a matter of belief. But, at the present time, much work and research across the globe is aimed at just that, i.e. at building the basis of what will be needed (now or later) in order to provide fast, accurate and cheaper ways of employing the principles of Nanotechnology.

The study of the basic principles of Nanotechnology, its future implications and its benefits, made it desirable to put a case forward for substantial undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in this field, as an essential part in speeding up the acceptance of this kind of technology among the general public and, more importantly, to provide a nanotechnologist educated elite for various industries and businesses.

As is very well known, in any technology, no work is complete without the demonstration of the practical applications and the huge benefits which can be provided. Thus, research, development and engineering of various tools related to Nanotechnology are vital in order that a steady commercial progress can take place alongside the present scientific research.

Teaching Nano-science and Nanotechnology

Obviously, for Nanotechnology to establish itself and become an important complete taught subject similar to any other science and technology subjects being taught today, a regular awareness programme should be launched and syllabuses should be compiled.

Nanotechnology teaching is lagging far behind Nanotechnology research. This is due to a number of reasons, but possibly the most significant “among many” is that Nanotechnology looks important mostly to commerce and defence. Large commercial companies do not want to be left behind and, therefore, were among the first to start their own research in this field. Also, Nanotechnology-related research in security and defence plays a large role in countries that have the infrastructure and the money to advance the technology for their own purposes.

Applications

In olden times, “Philosophy” was described as the mother of every science. “Nanotechnology” can now be easily described as the mother of engineering. For the above reason, when it comes to the type and number of applications which may be addressed by Nanotechnology, then the answer is that there is no limit simply because Nanotechnology deals with the inner structure i.e. dealing with atoms and molecules as the starting point for all kind of applications which can be used in our daily lives.

Practical Training and Future Tools

The future of Nanotechnology tools, recent research and development has brought onto the scientific scene the next generation of methods and tools that will allow us to understand and explore the nano-world in a much better way than we are able to do at present. With these new methods and tools, we will be able to gain a better insight into the collective behaviour of molecules and atoms. For example, a combination of STEM and Low Energy Electron Microscopy (LEEM) can enable us to look deeper into aspects of the self-assembly process at a superficial level. Another design related to Nanotechnology tools is the “Interfacial Force Microscope (IFM)”, which has the ability to simultaneously measure lateral and normal forces, regardless whether there is a repulsive or attractive load.

Other important areas of research and development concern Nanotechnology tools (such as robotic arms and nano-tube tweezers) that have as their main purpose the moving of molecules from one location to another. The size of these tools needs to be reduced and computer technologies should be developed further to become an essential part of the above processes and applications.

There is no doubt that Nanotechnology will be the common technology of the “not too distant” future, but only for those who are ready to invest their time, effort and money. This can be done in the form of teaching Nanotechnology, applying it to various industries and businesses and making people familiar with it, especially the young generation.

The USA has done a lot in this field; they have even introduced Nanotechnology as a subject for a number of schools. The hope that the rest of the world will do the same, and may be do even more, will no doubt bring the benefit much earlier for those working in this field and hopefully share it with the rest of the world.

Najib Altawell

Altawell © 2008

Nanotechnology Association