Nanotechnology moves from science fiction to commercial reality

Citation

(1999), "Nanotechnology moves from science fiction to commercial reality", Sensor Review, Vol. 19 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1999.08719cab.005

Nanotechnology moves from science fiction to commercial reality

Nanotechnology moves from science fiction to commercial reality

Keywords Nanotechnology

Combining chemistry and mechanical engineering, nanotechnology seeks to build functional structures with atoms and molecules - machines such as single electron transistors, or an abacus that calculates by moving single molecules around like beads. While some scenarios, such as nano-robots doing brain surgery by going inside individual brain cells, or ultrasuper computers the size of a pencil eraser are still in the realm of science fiction, a number of micro- and nano-scale devices are already on the market, and many more are nearly ready for commercialization, according to Nanotechnology: Think Small, Win Big with These Cutting Edge Technologies, a new report from Technical Insights.

"Your car's airbag actuators are actually micro machines," says Peter Katz, publisher of Technical Insights 'Labs-on-a-Chio' are already in production and coming to market soon, as is a 'Nose-on-a-Chip' - an array of microsensors that can detect multiple chemicals and is about the size of a grain of rice. Governments worldwide are pumping about $430 million annually into nanotech research, and private industry many times that. All that investment will soon begin to pay off."

Nanotechnology: Think Small, Win Big with These Cutting Edge Technologies presents investors and R&D executives with the most up to date survey of current applications, research directions, technical challenges, and market potential of nano-scale devices. It features:

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  An overview of nanotechnology research and an explanation of the science involved;

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  A focus on the most practical developments ­ the ones with the greatest commercial potential ­ and their current status and near-term prospects;

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  Any obstacles to commercialization, and how they may be overcome;

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  Existing patents in the field;

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  Contact information for key researchers in business, academia, and government, including names, addresses, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

Some of the companies and research organizations mentioned in this report include: Analog Devices, Vanderbilt University, Bell Labs, Queensland University, Australia, MIT, Oak Ridge National Lab, Lucent Technologies, Kionix, Caltech, IBM, University of California, Berkely, Delft University of Technology, Hugle Lithography, Suss KG, US Nanocorp Inc., Sandia National Laboratory, Cornel University, Harvard University, Eastman Kodak, Taylor Group of Companies, Inc., Northrup, Rockwell International.

Further Details: Peter Savage, Editor-in-Chief, Technical Insights/John Wiley & Sons, 32 North Dean St., Englewood NJ 07631, 201-227-4910. E-mail: insights@wiley.com. URL: http://www.wiley.com/technical_insights.