For our November seminar, entitled “Nano Machines”, Nicolas Dennilauler, from the CETC Committee and who works at CSR plc, arranged two expert speakers.

Our first speaker was Dr Steffi Friedrichs from TTP Group plc, whose presentation was called “Scenic Views Through The Porthole of a Nano–Submarine”.  Steffi started by telling us what the view would not be like.  The nano-machine won’t look like the smooth hulled scorpion-like submarine with claw shaped manipulators in Issac Assemov’s Fantastic Voyage or The Hitchhikers Guide. Nor will the submarine be able to ‘voyage’ through your arteries; the red corpuscles would be too gigantic and we would get squashed! In fact stiction and friction would prevent any sort of movement - even water molecules would be huge boulders to a nano-submarine! A combustion engine is impossible, and even light would not be present on this scale as it has a minimum wavelength of 500 nanometers, so propulsion is also a major problem. Our nano-submarine is 10 nanometres long and the size of an x-ray.

‘Nano’ comes from the Greek for ‘dwarf’ and ‘Nano assembly’ means ‘atoms that assemble themselves’. The Nano machine will assemble itself using ‘Brownian Motion’ and effectively mimic a biological life form, so it’s a ‘bottom up’ building process.  Steffi showed some fantastic animations of nano-machines built from atoms and having rotating components driven by chemical actions oscillating between acid-base-acid with protons creating movement. They will be able to grip a cell, drill a hole, and deposit a drug. As the building process is a ‘bottom up’ one, it is likely that biology will take over from physics in the nano factory!

Steffi referred to Moore’s Law, which states that the number of transistors on a square inch in an integrated circuit doubles each year.  This law has many applications and if applied to nanotechnology it predicts a $2.6 trillion business by 2014, with about 50% in electronics, 16% in health sciences and 4% in manufactured goods.  Some nanotechnology is being applied today in the cosmetics industry.  Soon we will see the Pillcam that will record images from inside us, and when recovered, reveal all! Nano switches are likely to be the ultimate in miniaturisation and bring Moore’s Law to its limit. In all a fascinating glimpse of the future, brilliantly and confidently presented.  If you are interested in learning more, Steffi recommends, ‘Soft Machines’ by Richard Jones.

Dr. Malcolm Wilkinson- The Terawatt Challenge, fact or fiction?

Our second speaker, Dr Malcolm Wilkinson, is the Managing Director of Technology For Industry Ltd and was the first Chairman of the CETC.  Malcolm posed the question: “The Terrawatt Challenge: Fact Or Fiction?”  Will nanotechnology provide the solution to the world’s increasing need for energy? The Sun produces all the world’s energy, so solar energy may hold the answer. If all the solar energy that falls on the state of Minnesota could be converted, it would produce 3 Terawatts. So if nanotechnology could be used to produce solar cells with efficiencies much higher than the current 10%, we could have the solution. Possibly, they could be made by a process akin to printing.  Again Moore’s Law cropped up; it is likely that very few companies will have the resources to build the manufacturing plants.

Apparently 99.9% of drug molecules fail to reach their intended target.  Could nano-machines provide the delivery system, avoiding the body’s natural defence mechanism and achieve a much higher success rate and bring huge savings?  Much of Malcolm’s presentation agreed with Steffi’s.  He said “Nanotechnology is soft, wet and flexible” and felt that, despite the ever increasing need for energy, there will be no immediate collapse in the economy.  Malcolm said that the UK is 10 years ahead of the USA in Nano research and 10 years behind in its exploitation. Deja vue!

With thanks to CETC member, Ray Roberts of Webtec Products Ltd, for this write-up

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