Interesting News Bits

Here are a few of the most interesting nanotech-related items I have seen in the past week or so:

Beam It Down From the Web, Scotty

Sometimes a particular piece of plastic is just what you need. You have lost the battery cover to your cellphone, perhaps. Or your daughter needs to have the golden princess doll she saw on television. Now.

In a few years, it will be possible to make these items yourself. You will be able to download three-dimensional plans online, then push Print. Hours later, a solid object will be ready to remove from your printer.

RR: this technology, while not nanotech, is a step in the right direction, and will likely help kick-start the debate over desktop manufacturing.

Link: http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/beam-it-down-from-the-web-scotty/20070507125309990001


The Longest Carbon Nanotubes You've Ever Seen

Using techniques that could revolutionize manufacturing for certain materials, researchers have grown carbon nanotubes that are the longest in the world. While still slightly less than 2 centimeters long, each nanotube is 900,000 times longer than its diameter.

Link: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=108992