Week 8 : Nanotech & Art

Nanotechnology is the future. Although most methodologies work in sciences, nano-science is an exception. We have to reevaluate how science is viewed and shift the previous conceptions or viewpoints. Nanotechnology in terms of social and economic values have the potential to change, as discussed in Dr. Gimzewski’s lecture. 

Nanotechnology’s origins were derived from Richard Feynman who suggested that that we have potential to crate tiny things on the atomic scale, which could create new technologies that change the world. In addition, he discovered that altering the behavior of nanoscale objects could impact visual and scientific effects such as new forms of color and chemistry. During the 1980s, a man named Eric Drexler had a different vision of technology that would be entirely mechanical and deterministic. Drexler had an engineer approach that would reduce to more of a level of mechanical gearing.

Nanoparticles are used far more frequently in our daily lives than imaginable. For example, nanoparticles are can be found in sunscreen, antimicrobial agents, food, electronics, and sporting equipment. This allows certain products to not wear and tear or smell that normally would. In most cases, bacteria are destroyed when nanoparticles are present. Since this is the case, they could be great if they were incorporated into cosmetic products. In addition, “nanodots” can be used to recognize and tag certain forms of disease. For example, different colors can represent different areas of the cell that are being affected. These nanodevices are tiny enough to penetrate cells allowing particles to be absorbed by cell selectivity.

There is no doubt that nanotech surrounds us in our everyday lives, but with that we must consider the negative aspect of these technologies. Nanoparticles transmitted from cars and found in foods are examples of how these technologies may be harmful. With that in mind, it is interesting to evaluate where the nanotech phenomenon is headed.

References:

Jim Gimzewski and Victoria Vesna. ‘The Nanomeme Syndrome: Construction of a New Science’, web.

Richard Feynman, ‘There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”, Dec 29^th 1959, pdf.

K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, 1986, Print.

How Tiny Nanoparticles Are Transforming Technology, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112557420 , Sep 4^th 2009, podcast.

Findings on Pollution Damage http://nanowiki.info/#%5B%5BFindings%20on%20Pollution%20Damage%5D%5D , Feb 22^nd 2011, web.