Issues and Strategies for Marketing “Nano Inside”

Nanotechnology-based products that address large consumer markets are increasingly being launched. Management at companies making and selling such products must decide how to market those products. In particular, companies must decide whether their marketing campaigns should emphasize the nanoscale components or materials inside of the products. In this article, Patti Hill analyzes the issues associated with a “nano inside” marketing campaign. She provides examples of successful marketing campaigns such as the Intel Inside® Program, highlights the challenges associated with a “nano inside” marketing campaign, and makes recommendations for companies seeking to market nanotech-based products.

A very well considered article from one of today's leading PR minds.

In an earlier post, I told you about my small contribution of background info to Patti Hill's article, at this LINK.

Singularity University

What is the mission of SU?

"Singularity University aims to assemble, educate and inspire a cadre of leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies and apply, focus and guide these tools to address humanity’s grand challenges."

If they can get funding this will be exciting!

"We are now in the steep part of the exponential trajectory of information technologies in a broad variety of fields, including health, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. It is only these accelerating technologies that have the scale to address the major challenges of humanity ranging from energy and the environment to disease and poverty. With its strong focus on interdisciplinary learning, Singularity University is poised to foster the leaders who will create a uniquely creative and productive future world.”

Ray Kurzweil

Better Tools

In our quest to better understand the properties of nanoscale materials (which differ from their larger macroscale cousins) scientists are developing new tools such as the one used to create the image above.

"This image of an early moment in the simulated mixing of two fluids was created by researchers using a powerful new algorithm they developed to extract features and patterns from massive data sets. In the image, blue and red spheres and the lines between them represent the branching of pockets of fluid."

"A powerful computing tool that allows scientists to extract features and patterns from enormously large and complex sets of raw data has been developed by scientists at University of California, Davis, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The tool - a set of problem-solving calculations known as an algorithm - is compact enough to run on computers with as little as two gigabytes of memory."

Credit: Attila Gyulassi/UC Davis copyright UC Regent

Click on the title to read the whole article at Nanotechnology Now

Giving Science Back it's Voice

In today’s inaugural speech, President Obama gives us hope that science and technology won’t be strangled by special interests nor it’s voice hushed by our leaders in government for political gain.

“The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.”

Why mention this on a nanotechnology blog? Simple, really; every one of the areas mentioned above will be enabled by nanoscale technologies.

Picture of the day

VLS Silicon Nanowire

High-crystalline silicon and other semiconducting nanowires are key building blocks for electronic devices, light emitting devices, field emission sources and sensors. Pictured is a crystalline silicon nanowire grown by the vapour-liquid-solid mechanism (VLS). VLS growth is so named because the constituents in gas form precipitate through a liquid catalyst onto a solid crystallin surface. Thermal-vapour-growth from solid precursors, usually in a high temperature furnace, is the most common way to obtain a bulk production of nanowires.

Source: K.B.K. Teo

Original post by Ryan Munden at http://www.nanopicoftheday.org/

Nanomedicine Today

To get excited about the potential of nanomedicine (AKA: nanobiotechnology) all one need do is read the headlines at sites like Nanotechnology Now.

Here are a few since January 1st:

• Nano "Tractor Beam" Traps DNA
• Revolutionize the utility of adult stem cells through nanotechnology
• Tiny capsules deliver
• Wireless microgrippers grab living cells
• Tool Gives a Glimpse of Biomolecules in Motion
• New guidelines open up the potential of molecular diagnostics
• Lab-in-a-Cartridge for Fast and Accurate Detection of Cancer and Infectious Diseases
• Nanotubes Sniff Out Cancer Agents in Living Cells
• Artificial Antibody Delivers Nanoparticles to Tumors
• Toxin-Nanoparticle Combo Inhibits Brain Cancer Invasion While Imaging Tumors
• Microfluidic Devices Capture and Analyze Single Cancer Cells
• Biodegradable Nanoprobe Images New Blood Vessel Growth
• Polymer Nanoparticle for Oral Anticancer Drug Delivery
• A fantastic voyage brought to life
• Synthetic HDL: A New Weapon to Fight Cholesterol Problems (as illustrated, next)
  
  

“The researchers successfully designed synthetic HDL and show that their nanoparticle version is capable of irreversibly binding cholesterol. The synthetic HDL, based on gold nanoparticles, is similar in size to HDL and mimics HDL's general surface composition.”

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=31934

Now, more than ever, nanobiotechnologies are looking increasingly promising for applications in screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of today’s more pernicious diseases. While I was cautiously optimistic back in the 1990’s and into the ‘00’s, I am now certain that nanobio will enable many lifesaving technologies in the next decade. Some of which may do more than just detect and cure; they may even help extend our productive life spans, giving each of us several more decades (or more) of good health and vitality.

There is also good news on the “safety” front:

• Nanotech Safety High on Congress' Priority List

My advice? If you have time only for visits to just two sites per day, consider time spent at Nanotechnology Now and Responsible Nanotechnology a must.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/
http://crnano.typepad.com/

Want to learn more about nanotechnology in general? Here are a few sites that offer information essential to understanding nanoscale technologies:

What is Nanotechnology? -- http://www.crnano.org/whatis.htm
Howard Lovy’s Nanobot -- http://nanobot.blogspot.com/
Wikipedia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies --http://www.nanotechproject.org/

And by all means read the books you see listed on the right column on this blog.

Memo to Pres. Obama: Advanced Nanotechnology - What, When, and Why

"Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. In its advanced form, which should be achieved within the next decade or two, the technology will allow a revolution in manufacturing—building powerful products with atomic precision from the bottom up—and could fundamentally alter our ability to confront challenging issues such as climate change.

Some experts confidently predict that once exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing is achieved, our worries about global warming and climate change will be over. A relatively simple solution like tiny balloons fitted with adjustable mirrors could, they say, give us all the control we will need to moderate warming and create preferred climate conditions."

Mike Treder
Executive Director
Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
http://CRNano.org

Bristles hugging a polystyrene sphere

“From the structure of DNA to nautical rope to distant spiral galaxies, helical forms are as abundant as they are useful in nature and manufacturing alike. Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered a way to synthesize and control the formation of nanobristles, akin to tiny hairs, into helical clusters and have further demonstrated the fabrication of such highly ordered clusters, built from similar coiled building blocks, over multiple scales and areas.

The finding has potential use in energy and information storage, photonics, adhesion, capture and release systems, and as an enhancement for the mixing and transport of particles. Lead authors Joanna Aizenberg, Gordon McKay Professor of Materials Science at SEAS and the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and L Mahadevan, Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics at SEAS, reported the research in the January 9 issue of Science.”

Credit: Courtesy of Aizenberg lab at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Click title to read entire article at Nanotechnology Now

Self Assembling Cubes

Nanobiotechnology is forecast to be one of the nanosciences that will make near-term and dramatic changes to how we detect and treat disease, and therefore to society.

The Institute for NanoBioTechnology at Johns Hopkins University is one of the rapidly growing number of first-class research organizations that is at the forefront of nanobio.

“The Gracias Lab at Johns Hopkins University develops minimally invasive microscale and nanoscale tools and devices for medicine. They trigger specially prepared 2d surfaces to assemble into 3d objects.”

Click on the title to go to the video.

Thanks to:

Martin Rietveld
Web Director
Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology
http://inbt.jhu.edu

Picture of the day

A microfabricated gold ring for Aharonov-Bohm type experiments, which test the modulation of quantum-interference contributions of electrons due to the presence of a magnetic field. Dimensions are: 70 nm wide, 20 nm thick with a diameter of about 800 nm.

Source: Christian Schönenberger

Original post by Ryan Munden at http://www.nanopicoftheday.org/

In My Opinion

In the late 1980’s, I became aware that science effects society at an ever-growing pace. As a 20-year observer of the nanospace and the daily news thereof, I know that nanotechnologies will be those that are responsible for the lion’s share of radical change; you cannot read about the significant number of advances in the nanosciences and come to any other conclusion. "Nano" is not a fad.

I also know this: the more rapid the growth in the number of new/advanced technologies the sooner we must start preparing for subsequent changes in society; changes real and imagined, and in most cases, difficult to predict. Given the exponential growth in our understanding of the nanoscale and the likelihood that many of our new insights will turn into commercial products and services, the time for discussion and preparation is now.

No informed person doubts that developments at the nanoscale will be significant. We debate the time-frame, the magnitude and the possibilities, but not the likelihood for large-scale change. The least-speculative views suggest that we're in for changes of an order that justifies--if not demands--our undivided attention. Will we be ready?

Zinc Oxide Microtrumpet

Prismatic zinc oxide microtubes have been fabricated by vapor transport. Room-temperature ultraviolet lasing action has been demonstrated in these microtube arrays. The ZnO microtubes, mainly appearing in a tapped bell-mouthed shape, form natural laser cavities along the length direction. The hexagon diagonal and length of the microtube vary from 1 um to 20 um and 10 um to a few hundred um respectively. Under 355nm optical excitation, lasing action is observed at room-temperature around 393nm. Multi-longitudinal modes are also observed with significantly narrowed emission linewidth.

Source: Sun Xiao Wei

Original post by Ryan Munden at http://www.nanopicoftheday.org/