I happened upon three interesting things on the World Wide Web this week regarding nanotechnology. The three interesting things do not include my discovery of the word “nanofab,” which is technically short for “Nanofabrication Facility” (Nanofabrication + lab = nanofab), but which I’m totally stealing and changing to “nanofabulous” as a descriptor for applications of nanotechnology that are mind-blowingly awesome.
The first item of interest was a press release from the National Institute of Standards and Technology that announced the launch of a “state-of-the-art center for collaborative nanotechnology research at [NIST]…[where] scientists from U.S. companies, universities and government will focus on overcoming major technical obstacles to cost-effective manufacturing” of nanotech products. The President’s budget for FY2007 already proposes a $20 million increase in funding for nanotech research.
Government funded and directed R&D in the emerging field of nanotechnology is exactly the wrong way to “help the private sector develop innovative products.” The best way the federal government can help the private sector find newer and better uses for nanotechnology is to leave it alone.
The second item of interest is this index of consumer products that use nanotechnology that are already on the market (click “browsing” on the page for an alphabetical listing of the products.) On just the first page, there are nanotechnology-improved products, including bathroom paint that is resistant to water and mildew, easier to maneuver and more durable snow skis, more efficient PC processors, and pressed faced powder that diffuses light from the surface of the skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles—it’s hard to imagine that government directed research into nanotech applications could ever have resulted in many of the products in the index reaching the market.
Finally, the third item is this piece by James D. Miller that ran at TCS Daily last week. I think it may deserve its own post, so look for it soon.
--Brooke Oberwetter