Week 8 - Nanotech + Art

Nanotechnology is a lively and exciting area of study that is increasingly becoming our future. This systematic enterprise brings new idea that has the potential to be present on a world scale by not just being focused on a specific area. Us as humans encounter nanotechnology everyday without even noticing through clothing, food and technology. 

Nanotechnology

Throughout the lecture this week we have learned nanotechnology is the understanding of matter on a nanometer scale. Because this is done on such a small scale it allows the incorporation of art and technology to conceptualise ideas which are often far to small for the naked eye to see.  

Going back in time, nanotechnology has been around for centuries where in daily life people were exploring to understand how things worked in the world. Often they were not able to explain how or why something was operating the way it was but could identify properties to help gain a better understanding.  

For example dating back to a time between 1150 and 1500 was when medieval stained glass windows were invented this time period saw what was the start of nanotechnology idea's. The colourful class is made by heating sand and potash (wood ash) to the point where they'd liquify and become glass when cooled. During this time they would not have known how this process works (with the chemical balances) however they understood the basics of the result of heating up these two ingredients. Over time as more science has been discovered they have been able to understand more about how the world works through nanotechnology. This was one of the ways the world of nanotechnology and art began to intertwine and overlap was seen. 

So what actually is nanotechnology? The term 'nano' is referring to the particle length which ranges from 1-100 nm where the basic building blocks are non particles. Despite ideas of nanotechnology being used in the past this technology really came into its own in 1981 through elucidation and popularisation of a conceptual framework where a book called 'Engines of Creation' captures this beautifully. 

Engines of creation

The exciting thing about nanotechnology is it is constantly evolving and slowly becoming the future in a lot of growing areas. For example, an innovate idea created by Gavriel Iddan in 2001 known as the 'Pillcam' involves technology to make positive advancements in the medical industry. This is a ingestible capsule device equipped with a miniature video camera to visualise the small intestine. It is able to take up to 55,000 photos over an 8 hour period. This pill is specifically designed for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease so they are able to have a look and visually see what is happening. For the medical industry this really is an exciting step to help have better access to information. 

Pillcam by Gavriel Iddan

As technology continues to develop and more ideas develop, the future for nanotechnology is going to be very exciting. 

Sources: 

2005, W. by A. Z. N. M. 5. (2013, July 15). What is Nanotechnology and What Can It Do? AZoNano.com. https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1134#:~:text=Nanotechnology%20is%20a%20field%20of,%2C%20on%20average%2C%2080%2C000%20nanometres. 

PILLCAM™ SB FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) . (n.d.). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/johns_hopkins_bayview/_docs/medical_services/gastroenterology/pill_cam_sb_faqs.pdf

Omni Nano. (2019, August 31). Discover Nanotechnology Today with Omni Nano! Omni Nano. https://omninano.org/you-and-nanotechnology/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkZiFBhD9ARIsAGxFX8DVhgLL9Uai2yDjZdKdFhyMu0aUGGj_ZOm6ubCxDgNXyoNwfJr7lL4aAoKiEALw_wcB. 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, May 17). Nanotechnology. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology. 

What Is Nanotechnology? National Nanotechnology Initiative. (n.d.). https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=medieval+stained+glass+windows&sxsrf=ALeKk03rFxlsxeHHlgP5J1RsAHrsGhcvbQ:1621552514698&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiGzP3ssdnwAhXsqksFHSg2AKcQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1600&bih=812#imgrc=uG-bd-LbXcKdAM

https://www.google.com/search?q=nanotechnology&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjH24LH-9nwAhWzQ30KHXd7DAsQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=nanotech&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgQIABBDMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAOgQIIxAnOgUIABCxA1CMxB9Y_9IfYNzhH2gBcAB4AIAB8wGIAa0NkgEFMC43LjKYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=yzqnYIfKErOH9QP39rFY&bih=875&biw=1600#imgrc=NEfH1vAfqZ2rEM

https://www.nano.gov/sites/default/files/feynman-s.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsGvcejqzb4