Academic Project 2

A Seminar presentation on

Through this presentation or compilation of articles and sources ; We are going to dive into a very Under-rated part of science as we say as not much people know about it or not deeply explored. Nanotechnology. As cliché as it sounds , More interesting it gets when we arrive at a certain depth of it.

Truly revolutionary nanotech products, materials and applications, such as nanorobotics, are years in the future (some say only a few years; some say many years). What qualifies as "nanotechnology" today is basic research and development that is happening in laboratories all over the world.

Today's scientists and engineers are finding a wide variety of ways to deliberately make materials at the nanoscale to take advantage of their enhanced properties such as higher strength, lighter weight, increased control of light spectrum, and greater chemical reactivity than their larger-scale counterparts.

“ Today, billions of mobile devices with extraordinary power are uniting

with advancements in robotics artificial intelligence, nanotechnology,

and so much more. “ - Steve Mollenkopf

Nanotechnology (or "nanotech") is manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabrication of macroscale products.

Nanotechnology is a field of research and innovation concerned with building 'things' - generally, materials and devices - on the scale of atoms and molecules. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter: ten times the diameter of a hydrogen atom.

Nanotechnology is highly interdisciplinary, involving physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and the full range of the engineering disciplines. The word nanotechnology is widely used as shorthand to refer to both the science and the technology of this emerging field.

In its original sense, 'nanotechnology' refers to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, high performance products.

“Nanotechnology will let us build computers that are incredibly powerful.

We'll have more power in the volume of a sugar cube than exists in the entire world today." - Ralph Merkle

Nanotechnology is an inescapable part of modern everyday life, both on holiday and at home. "There are things we've been using for a long time which contain Nano sized components, like the lasers in DVD and CD players," says Milo Shaffer, head of the London Centre for Nanotechnology. Yet most of the time it goes unnoticed. "On the whole people aren't very aware of the nanotechnology all around them," Shaffer explains.

So if you stretch out an arm, you'll almost certainly be able to grab something that employs nanotechnology. But you might also be breathing in nanoparticles that have been around for many years. Whether in your office, home or while sunning yourself on holiday, it is impossible not to encounter technology based on the manipulation of the very small. Many technologies in the modern world rely on nanostructures, often inspired by evolution in the natural world. But there is much untapped potential left to explore.

"The overlap between the way nature solves these problems and the way we do,

using technical solutions, is only 10-20%," Vincent explains.

“I'd like to see a world where we can truly utilize the tried and tested methods nature has employed,” he says.

Nanorobots are nanodevices that will be used for the purpose of maintaining and protecting the human body against pathogens.

The enormous potential in the biomedical capabilities of nanorobots and the imprecision and side effects of medical treatments today make nanorobots very desirable. But today, in this revolutionary era we propose for nanomedical robots, since they will have no difficulty in identifying the target site cells even at the very early stages which cannot be done in the traditional treatment and will ultimately be able to track them down and destroy them wherever they may be growing.

By having these Robots, we can refine the treatment of diseases by using biomedical, nanotechnological engineering. The emerging field of nanorobotics is aimed at overcoming the shortcomings present in the traditional way of treatment of patients.

“In thinking about nanotechnology today, what's most important is understanding where it leads, what nanotechnology will look like after we reach the assembler breakthrough.” - K. Eric Drexler

Robotic systems have been introduced for reducing the difficulties associated with complex surgical procedures and for extending the capabilities of human surgeons. Such robot-assisted surgery is a rapidly evolving field that allows doctors to perform a variety of minimally invasive procedures with high precision, flexibility, and control.

Recent advances in micro/nanorobots have shown considerable promise for addressing these limitations and for using these tiny devices for precision surgery

Untethered micro/nanorobotic tools, ranging from Nano drillers to microgrippers and micro bullets offer unique capabilities for minimally invasive surgery. With dimensions compatible with those of the small biological entities that they need to treat, micro/nanorobots offer major advantages for high-precision, minimally invasive surgery. Powered by diverse energy sources, the moving micro/nanorobots with nanoscale surgical components are able to directly penetrate or retrieve cellular tissues for precision surgery.

“If we can reduce the cost and improve the quality of medical technology through

advances in nanotechnology, we can more widely address the medical conditions

hat are prevalent and reduce the level of human suffering.” - Ralph Merkle

Many benefits of nanotechnology depend on the fact that it is possible to tailor the structures of materials at extremely small scales to achieve specific properties, thus greatly extending the materials science toolkit. Using nanotechnology, materials can effectively be made stronger, lighter, more durable, more reactive, more sieve-like, or better electrical conductors, among many other traits. Many everyday commercial products are currently on the market and in daily use that rely on nanoscale materials and processes.

• Clear nanoscale films on eyeglasses, computer and camera displays, windows, and other surfaces can make them water and residue-repellent, antireflective, self-cleaning, resistant to ultraviolet or infrared light, anti-fog, antimicrobial, scratch resistant, or electrically conductive.

• Light weighting of cars, trucks, airplanes, boats, and space craft could lead to significant fuel savings. Nanoscale additive s in polymer composite materials are being used in baseball bats, tennis rackets, bicycles, motorcycle helmets, automobile parts, luggage, and power tool housings, making them lightweight, stiff, durable, and resilient. Carbon nanotube sheets are now being produced for use in next-generation air vehicles. For example, the combination of light weight and conductivity makes them ideal for applications such as electromagnetic shielding and thermal management.

• Nanoscale materials are also being incorporated into a variety of personal care products to improve performance. Nanoscale titanium dioxide and zinc oxide have been used for years in sunscreen to provide protection from the sun while appearing invisible on the skin.

Nanotechnology has greatly contributed to major advances in computing and electronics, leading to faster, smaller, and more portable systems that can manage and store larger and larger amounts of information. These continuously evolving applications include :

• Ultra-high definition displays and televisions are now being sold that use quantum dots to produce more vibrant colors while being more energy efficient.

• Nanoparticle copper suspensions have been developed as a safer, cheaper, and more reliable alternative to lead-based solder and other hazardous materials commonly used to fuse electronics in the assembly process.

• Flexible, bendable, foldable, and stretchable electronics are reaching into various sectors and are being integrated into a variety of products, including wearables, medical applications, aerospace applications, and the Internet of Things. Flexible electronics have been developed using, for example, semiconductor nanomembranes for applications in smartphone and e-reader displays. Other nanomaterials like graphene and cellulosic nanomaterials are being used for various types of flexible electronics to enable wearable and “tattoo” sensors, photovoltaics that can be sewn onto clothing, and electronic paper that can be rolled up. Making flat, flexible, lightweight, non-brittle, highly efficient electronics opens the door to countless smart products.

In addition to the ways that nanotechnology can help improve energy efficiency, there are also many ways that it can help detect and clean up environmental contaminants :

• Nanotechnology could help meet the need for affordable, clean drinking water through rapid, low-cost detection and treatment of impurities in water.

• Many airplane cabin and other types of air filters are nanotechnology-based filters that allow “mechanical filtration,” in which the fiber material creates nanoscale pores that trap particles larger than the size of the pores. The filters also may contain charcoal layers that remove odors.

• Nanotechnology-enabled sensors and solutions are now able to detect and identify chemical or biological agents in the air and soil with much higher sensitivity than ever before. Researchers are investigating particles such as self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports (SAMMS™), dendrimers, and carbon nanotubes to determine how to apply their unique chemical and physical properties for various kinds of toxic site remediation. Another sensor has been developed by NASA as a smartphone extension that firefighters can use to monitor air quality around fires.

• Engineers have developed a thin film membrane with nanopores for energy-efficient desalination. This molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) membrane filtered two to five times more water than current conventional filters.

Nanotechnology offers the promise of developing multifunctional materials that will contribute to building and maintaining lighter, safer, smarter, and more efficient vehicles, aircraft, spacecraft, and ships. In addition, nanotechnology offers various means to improve the transportation infrastructure :

• Nanoscale sensors and devices may provide cost-effective continuous monitoring of the structural integrity and performance of bridges, tunnels, rails, parking structures, and pavements over time. Nanoscale sensors, communications devices, and other innovations enabled by nanoelectronics can also support an enhanced transportation infrastructure that can communicate with vehicle-based systems to help drivers maintain lane position, avoid collisions, adjust travel routes to avoid congestion, and improve drivers’ interfaces to onboard electronics.

• “Game changing” benefits from the use of nanotechnology-enabled lightweight, high-strength materials would apply to almost any transportation vehicle. For example, it has been estimated that reducing the weight of a commercial jet aircraft by 20 percent could reduce its fuel consumption by as much as 15 percent. A preliminary analysis performed for NASA has indicated that the development and use of advanced nanomaterials with twice the strength of conventional composites would reduce the gross weight of a launch vehicle by as much as 63 percent. Not only could this save a significant amount of energy needed to launch spacecraft into orbit, but it would also enable the development of single stage to orbit launch vehicles, further reducing launch costs, increasing mission reliability, and opening the door to alternative propulsion concepts.

• Self-assembling consumer goods

• Computers billions of times faster

• Extremely novel inventions (impossible today)

• Safe and affordable space travel

• Medical Nano... virtual end to illness, aging, death

• No more pollution and automatic cleanup of already existing pollution

• Molecular food syntheses... end of famine and starvation

• Access to a superior education for every child on Earth

• Reintroduction of many extinct plants and animals

• Terraforming here and the Solar System

• Doctors inside your body. Wearable fitness technology means we can monitor our health by strapping gadgets to ourselves. There are even prototype electronic tattoos that can sense our vital signs.

• Sensors, sensors, everywhere. These sensors rely on newly-invented nanomaterials and manufacturing techniques to make them smaller, more complex and more energy efficient. For example, sensors with very fine features can now be printed in large quantities on flexible rolls of plastic at low cost.

• Self-healing structures. If cracks do appear then nanotechnology could play a further role. Changing the structure of materials at the nanoscale can give them some amazing properties – by giving them a texture that repels water, for example. In the future, nanotechnology coatings or additives will even have the potential to allow materials to "heal" when damaged or worn.

• Making big data possible. All these sensors will produce more information than we've ever had to deal with before – so we'll need the technology to process it and spot the patterns that will alert us to problems.

• Tackling climate change. The fight against climate change means we need new ways to generate and use electricity, and nanotechnology is already playing a role. It has helped create batteries that can store more energy for electric cars and has enabled solar panels to convert more sunlight into electricity.

“ Nanotechnology is the idea that we can create devices and machines, all the way down to the nanometer scale, which is a billionth of a meter, about half the width of a human DNA molecule.” - Paul McEuen