Are you using nanotechnology in your daily life and not even realizing it?
While nanotechnology is now an essential branch of modern science and electronics, the more you learn about the potential of this technology, using different nanoparticles to form new materials and offer advances in home robotics, the more interesting and practical it becomes for your everyday life.
Nano-technologies in home robots are used for numerous things, such as smaller and faster computers, robotic vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers, smart home hubs, smaller and sleeker smartphones with far more features, and significantly better cameras, etc.
Because nanotechnology has become so intertwined in the modern world, many users are unaware of its immense reach.
Nanotechnology has countless medical applications that are revolutionizing surgery, and many have witnessed the high-end developments in military missions.
Nanotechnology involves certain activities, such as imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at the nano length scale, and many fields of endeavor contribute to nanotechnology, such as molecular physics, materials science, chemistry, biology, computer science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.
Although many of the significant breakthroughs are still being worked out in laboratories, only a small percentage of the simplest forms of nanotechnology have appeared at the marketplace so far.
Probably one of the most exciting areas in nanotechnology is that of medicine, since it has so many incredibly important, even life-changing and potentially, life-saving, consequences. Cancer is one of the biggest killers of adults (and sadly, of our nation’s children as well). In the case of cancer, there are numerous kinds of treatments that are being developed to attack tumors at the cellular level. Research has shown that using gold nanoparticles seem to work against a variety of cancers. By heating the cells, when shot with an infrared laser, these particles are delivered to the tumors. The biggest challenge with these treatments, however, is being able to direct these nanoparticles to malignant cells while avoiding healthy ones. Hopefully, in the near future, they will be able to refine the delivery system so these particles can create a series of new, noninvasive treatments that kill tumors without killing the healhty cells, and thus bypass any surgical trauma.
Scientists and engineers are doing research with the hope of stopping brain cancer without physically penetrating the patient’s skull. Also, nanotechnology may allow doctors to attack lung cancer without opening someone’s chest.
Nanotechnology is providing scientists’ insight into the functionality of human immune systems to monitor the effects of chosen treatments. It has also developed break-through in freeze-drying medicine and vaccinations that can be stored for years in a compact, powder form.
Nanotechnology has led to incredible developments in wound treatment and healing by using carbon nanotube patches, which mimic organic tissue when placed on damaged human organs, and thus spur on speedy and solid growth of new tissue.
The computer, or other devices you may be using, will likely be using some components of nanotechnology such as processors, memory components, antimicrobial coatings, etc.
You are probably comfortable with the fact that silver nanoparticles are increasingly being used in everything from self-sanitizing toothbrushes to clothes, but you probably don’t like the idea that silver nanoparticles may eventually be used in toothpaste.
Although most of you are probably skeptical of eating “engineered foods,” that is, using nanotechnology in foods, yet you probably don’t mind the fact that your refrigerator or reusable food storage containers, may be the more subtle methods by which nanosilver coatings are used to kill bacteria.
Nanotechnology & Drones
Nanotechnology is being used in the drone/UAV industry to expand capabilities and reduce costs.
Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are being used today to increase productivity and reduce costs in a variety of industries, including mining, real estate, agriculture, and aerial surveying, medicine, etc.
Nanotechnology is being used widely in the drone industry to reduce weight, to extend flight times and to make these useful robot helpers work harder.
Future
I think that you may be more aware of the fact that nanotechnology is so amazingly intertwined in your modern world that you may be unaware of its great influence already, and its tremendous potential within our modern world.
