Blog @ NanoVic - Nanotechnology Blog

A recent newsletter from AZoNano.com features a round-up of movies that use principles of the ’small’ and nanotechnology  in their story lines. Apart from old favourites I Robot and Terminator 2 (and the cancelled screen adaption of Prey by Michael Crichton) nanotechnology in the movies seems to be fairly thinly spread. We’ve tried extending this list in the past, but it has not been a fruitful search. AZo Nano suggests Star Trek. Pictured is an example of  the Borg. Apparently the Borg originate from medical nano-machines, but you’ll have to trust Wikipedia for that!

The origins of the Borg seem to be cross-over with biotechnology, an area replete with film examples.  In fact Biotechnology Australia was able to compile a report on the portrayal of cloning in the movies and examine how this related to public attitudes on cloning.

Perhaps this leads us back to the myriad of technologies, applications, risks and benefits that fall under the term ‘nanotechnology’. It is our experience in education and public awareness that discussing the applications and then considering the technologies make most sense for most people. Nanotechnology on its own does not grip the imagination. Our search for nano-related movies will have to be much broader to capture the applications that might use nanotechnology. Anything else from Star Trek???

Found a great picture posted up on the Wired Science blog, showing an electron micrograph taken by scientist Geoff Brennecka. Intending to take photos of a tantalum oxide crystal, the person before him on the microscope hadn’t quite managed to get rid of some polystyrene beads, which ended up sticking to the edge of his sample. Result? Looks like someone falling off the edge of a cliff!

Image courtesy of the Materials Research Society

The image recently won second place at the Materials Research Society Spring 2008 Science as Art competition in San Francisco. I can’t seem to find this year’s images posted yet, but you can see winning entries from previous years here.

In 2002, the The Da Vinci Institute set its sights on creating a Museum of Future Inventions designed around the pursuit of inventions that will create a spot in the history books for those people who develop them.  It was anticipated the museum would consist of multiple pavilions, each with its own scientific concentration, sponsored by businesses from around the world.

As one might expect, nanotechnology is one pavilion to be featured along side Robotics, Energy and Smart Technologies, to name a few of the others.  The exhibits in the nanotechnology pavilion would explain ”how we will be able to control the structure of matter based on molecule-by-molecule control of products and byproducts; the products and processes of molecular manufacturing, including molecular machinery.  Electron and scanning tunneling microscopes will be used to make the nano world come to life”.

No indication of when it might become a reality but if it does end up “as the full day experience” then a visit at the end of the tour to the ”Taste of the Future Café - to dine on tomorrow’s food” will be an absolute must!

Starting off the new year talking about a nanotechnology subject I enjoy - nanoart!  I have mentioned this site in a previous blog but I see that the NanoArt 2007 International Online Competition is now open for voting.  37 nanoartists from 13 countries spanning four continents have submitted up to 121 entries - plenty to choose from!  This is the second edition of the international competition and online voting is open until 31 March 2008.

There are some really fasinating works of art encompassing both scientific imagery through to abstract.  Happy voting!

Researchers at Cornell University have built a nanoguitar about the size of a red blood cell, and can play it too! 

The minute guitar is made of silicon crystal, carved out using a technique called electron-beam lithography. It can be played, not in the traditional way by plucking the strings, but through using targeted laser-light to hit the strings, which causes them to oscillate, creating interference patterns in the light reflected back which can be detected electronically and converted to audible notes. 

The nanoguitar demonstrates the possibility of manufacturing tiny mechanical devices using techniques originally designed for building microelectronic circuits, and its playing ability shows how such devices could substitute for electronic circuit components to make circuits smaller, cheaper and more energy-efficient. 

The technology may also be able to be used for the detection of contamination, with researchers finding they can detect the presence of a single bacterium attached to one such nanostructure via a change in its vibration.

To hear the guitar played click here.

Interested in nanotechnology and graffiti? Applications are now open for a week-long masterclass presented by the Graffiti Research Lab (NY), from 3-7 March, 2008 at Artspace during the Adelaide Festival. Evan Roth and James Powderly of the Graffiti Research Lab (GRL) are dedicated to outfitting street artists with open source technologies for urban communication. GRL have been touring the globe, demonstrating and teaching new graffiti technologies and DIY skills to diverse public audiences. So why are we interested? Becuase NanoVic and Bridge8 will be providing nanomaterials for this masterclass in the interests of public art and communicating technology.  There are 9 places available for SA participants and 5 places for other national participants.  Download an application form from Carclew Youth Arts. Applications close 16 November 2007.  For further information please contact Annemarie Kohn on 08 8267 5111 or akohn@carclew.org.au.

A number of NanoVic’s activities were featured at the Education Day during the COMS07 conference in Melbourne last week. Dr Peter Binks talked about future workforce implications of nanotechnology education, Francesca Calati and Dr Amanda Clarke presented SHINE and I talked about the futures thinking in the innovative development of SHINE. The NanoBits Kit was launched by the Minister for Education Jacinta Allan, and the artworks from the NanoVic Prizes for Art & Nanotechnology were featured as part of a display. Other highlights during the day included Brian Strating discussing the Roxborough Park Cluster project alongside a fabulous display of children’s artworks, and Dr Joe Shapter explaining how nanotechnology is taught at Flinders Univeristy.

NANOART has been described as the new art discipline related to micro/nanosculptures created by artists/scientists through chemical/physical processes and/or natural micro/ nanostructures that are visualized with powerful research tools like Scanning Electron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope. 

This site was founded by artist/scientist Cris Orfescu and was created to promote worldwide NanoArt as a reflection of the technological movement. NanoArt is considered to be a more appealing and effective way to communicate with the general public and to inform people about the new technologies of the 21st Century.  The picture highlighted is titled ‘Flamingo’ and I found it quite compelling as I did with the other images on the site.

With NanoVic recently announcing the winners of its Art Prizes it is interesting to see how others around the world interpret nanotechnology in art form.

When chemist Fraser Stoddart recently celebrated his 65th birthday at “The Young(ish) Giants of Chemistry” conference in Edinburgh, UK, he might have been surprised to discover that one of his gifts was an original portrait of himself.  However, this wasn’t any normal portrait - this was a portrait so small you need a microscope to see it! The 20 micrometre-sized work of art was produced by Chad Mirkin of Northwestern University, Illinois, using a technique he developed known as Dip-Pen Nanolithography. This technique uses an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip to write onto surfaces using molecular ink and is now used in labs across the world for studying materials at the nanoscale.  What a creative way to apply such a scientific tool!