2011 RISD Nanovation Winners Announced

Advancements in nanotechnology may one day save your life by improving safety in your car, providing water in the desert, or protecting firefighters in a burning building. The Rhode Island School of Design announced the winners of the 2011 Nanovation Prize, a competition that encourages design innovation made possible through nanotechnology. This year’s winners ranged from smarter crash test dummies to an innovative water harvesting system for arid climates.

The Nanovation Prize is designed to promote awareness of nano-scale science amongst design students. The top judged entry receives a cash award as well as help to further develop their invention toward commercialization. Laila Aukee, this year’s winner, envisioned a new coating for crash test dummies that uses microencapsulation technology to show bodily injury more effectively than existing technologies. An Honorable Mention went to Colette Bazirgan, who developed a water harvesting system patterned with hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions to draw moisture from the air in arid climates, and Megan Yuen received a Citation for firefighting gear tailored to be lighter and easier to move in while providing greater heat and impact protection.

Read more about the winners here.

Nanotech-enabled Consumer Products Continue to Rise

WASHINGTON – Nanotech consumer products continue to grow at a consistent pace.

According to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) over 1,300 manufacturer-identified, nanotechnology-enabled products have entered the commercial marketplace around the world. The most recent update to the group’s five-year-old inventory reflects the continuing use of the tiny particles in everything from conventional products like non-stick cookware to more unique items such as self-cleaning window treatments.

“The use of nanotechnology in consumer products continues to grow on a rapid and consistent basis,” says PEN Director David Rejeski. “When we launched the inventory in March 2006 it contained 212 products. If the current trend continues, the number of products could reach 3,400 by 2020.”

Health and fitness items continue to dominate the PEN inventory, representing 56 percent of products listed. More products are based on nanoscale silver—used for its antimicrobial properties—than any other nanomaterial; 313 products (24 percent of the inventory) use silver nanoparticles. The updated inventory represents products from over 30 countries, including the US, China, Canada, Germany, and India. This update also identifies products that were previously available, but for which there is no current information.

“The initial goal of the inventory was to help educate consumers and encourage regulatory bodies to build internal capacity to track products. Unfortunately, as more and more nano-enabled products enter the marketplace, and despite ten years and billions of dollars of investment through the National Nanotechnology Initiative, oversight challenges for agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission still exist,” according to Dr. Todd Kuiken, a research associate with PEN.

With an ever increasing number of products becoming available from countries outside the U.S., environmental health and safety research strategies will need to be better coordinated. The release of the updated inventory preceeds a joint US-EU workshop, sponsored by the U.S. National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, which is designed to bridge environmental health and safety research strategies. Bridging NanoEHS Research Effort:/A joint US-EU Workshop will be held March 10-11 in Washington, D.C. To learn more visit www.nano.gov.

The PEN consumer products inventory includes products that have been identified by their manufacturer or a credible source as being nanotechnology-based. This update identifies products that were previously sold, but which may no longer be available. It remains the most comprehensive and widely used source of information on nanotechnology-enabled consumer products in the world.

The inventory is available at http://www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/consumer/ or download the findnano iphone application at http://www.nanotechproject.org/iphone/.

findNano App Puts Nanotech in Your Pocket

WASHINGTON – The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) has developed findNano, an application for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch that lets users discover and determine whether consumer products are nanotechnology-enabled. Nanotechnology, the emerging technology of using materials by engineering them at an incredibly small scale, has applications ranging from consumer electronics to improved drug delivery systems.

findNano allows users to browse an inventory of more than 1,000 nanotechnology-enabled consumer products, from sporting goods to food products and electronics to toys, using the iPhone and iPod Touch. Using the built-in camera, iPhone users can even submit new nanotech products to be included in future inventory updates.

The new application makes PEN’s unique Consumer Products Inventory more accessible for today’s consumers. The inventory, which was launched in 2006, is the leading source of information on manufacturer-identified nanotechnology consumer products around the world.

“The Consumer Products Inventory provides valuable insight into the world of nanotech consumer products, and now it’s even easier to access because of findNano,” says PEN Research Associate Patrick Polischuk. “This innovative tool satisfies the needs of citizen scientists, tech-savvy consumers, and those who are merely curious about whether products contain nanomaterials.”

The number of nanotech products in the inventory has risen from approximately 200 in 2006 to more than 1,000 today. But this is most likely an underestimate of the number of products using nanotechnology available worldwide. To help develop better estimates of the number of nano-based products in commerce, the iPhone app allows users to submit information on new products, including product name and where the product can be purchased.

Using findNano, users can take or select a photo of a possible nanotech product and submit it for inclusion in the PEN inventory. This feature will help consumers, researchers, and policymakers determine how—and where—nanotechnologies are entering the marketplace.

findNano is available as a free download for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and can be found in the iTunes App Store or at nanotechproject.org/iphone.

Putting Nanotechnology on the Map

WASHINGTON — Every state can now lay claim to the nanotechnology revolution.

Data released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) highlights more than 1,200 companies, universities, government laboratories, and other organizations across all 50 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia that are involved in nanotechnology research, development, and commercialization. This number is up 50 percent from the 800 organizations identified just two years ago.

While many of the original “Nano Metro” clusters—areas with the nation’s highest concentration of nanotechnology companies, universities, research laboratories, and organizations—have maintained their prominence in the field, areas such as Boston have moved up in the rankings, while others, such as Raleigh, N.C., have broken into the top-ranked locations for the first time.

This information is part of PEN’s interactive map displaying the growing “Nano Metro” landscape, powered by Google Maps®, and available online at www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/map. The map’s accompanying analysis ranks cities and states by numbers of companies, academic and government research centers, and organizations and technology focus by sector.

The top 4 states overall (each with over 75 entries) are California, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas. These states have retained their lead since the first analysis was released in 2007. Ohio has moved up four spots as the state with the sixth most entries. North Carolina has broken into the top 10 states for the first time.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have at least one company, university, government laboratory, or organization working in the field of nanotechnology.

The top 6 Nano Metros (each with 30 or more entries) are: Boston; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Raleigh; Middlesex-Essex, Mass.; and Oakland, Calif. Boston and San Francisco have taken the lead from San Jose. Raleigh has moved into the top 5 Nano Metros (displacing Oakland).

The top 3 sectors for companies working in nanotechnology (each with over 200 entries) are: materials; tools and instruments; and medicine and health.

The number of universities and government laboratories working in nanotechnology is still substantial, as it was in 2007, with 182 identified.

“The rapid growth in nanotechnology activity across the United States illustrates the impact of continued and significant investments in nanoscience and nanoengineering by the federal government and private sector,” said PEN Director David Rejeski. “There is now not a single state without organizations involved in this cutting-edge field.”

The global market for goods based on nanotechnology is predicted to grow from $147 billion in 2007 to $3.1 trillion in 2015, according to the research and advisory firm Lux Research. “Given this expected continuation in growth, the ‘Nano Metro’ map remains a work in progress and will be further updated as more data becomes available,” according to Rejeski.

Nanotech-enabled Consumer Products Top the 1,000 Mark

WASHINGTON – Nanotech consumer products have now crossed the millennial threshold.

Over 1,000 nanotechnology-enabled products have been made available to consumers around the world, according to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). The most recent update to the group’s three-and-a-half-year-old inventory reflects the increasing use of the tiny particles in everything from conventional products like non-stick cookware and lighter, stronger tennis racquets, to more unique items such as wearable sensors that monitor posture.

“The use of nanotechnology in consumer products continues to grow rapidly,” says PEN Director David Rejeski. “When we launched the inventory in March 2006 we only had 212 products. If the introduction of new products continues at the present rate, the number of products listed in the inventory will reach close to 1,600 within the next two years. This will provide significant oversight challenges for agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and Consumer Product Safety Commission, which often lack any mechanisms to identify nanotech products before they enter the marketplace.”

Health and fitness items continue to dominate the PEN inventory, representing 60 percent of products listed. More products are based on nanoscale silver—used for its antimicrobial properties—than any other nanomaterial; 259 products (26 percent of the inventory) use silver nanoparticles. The updated inventory represents products from over 24 countries, including the US, China, Canada, and Germany. This update also identifies products that were previously available, but for which there is no current information.

The release of the updated inventory coincides with a public hearing on the agenda and priorities of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) where project director David Rejeski testified. The CPSC, with a staff of fewer than 400 employees, oversees the safety of 15,000 types of consumer products.

Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor for PEN, noted that “the CPSC deserves credit for focusing on nanotechnologies. The resources available to the agency to address health and safety issues are negligible compared to the over $1.5 billion federal investment in nanotechnology research and development.”

The inventory is available at http://www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/consumer/

The PEN consumer products inventory includes products that have been identified by their manufacturer or a credible source as being nanotechnology-based. This update identifies products that were previously sold, but which may no longer be available. It remains the most comprehensive and widely used source of information on nanotechnology-enabled consumer products in the world.

Nanotechnology In Food Production

Industry analysts and proponents predict that nanotechnology will be used to transform food from the atom up: “Thanks to nanotechnology, tomorrow’s food will be designed by shaping molecules and atoms. Food will be wrapped in “smart” safety packaging that can detect spoilage or harmful contaminants. Future products will enhance and adjust their color, flavor, or nutrient content to accommodate each consumer’s taste or health needs. And in agriculture, nanotechnology promises to reduce pesticide use, improve plant and animal breeding, and create new nano-bioindustrial products” – or so states the US Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies’ recent report on the use of nanotechnology in food and agriculture (available at http://www.nanotechproject.org).

The food and agriculture industries have been investing billions of dollars into nanotechnology research, with an unknown number of unlabeled nano food products already on the market. In the absence of mandatory product labelling anywhere in the world, it is impossible to tell how many commercial food products now contain nano ingredients. The Helmut Kaiser Consultancy Group, a pro-nanotechnology analyst, suggests that there are now over 300 nano food products available on the market worldwide. It estimates that the global nano food market was worth US$5.3 billion in 2005 and will rise to US$20.4 billion by 2010. It predicts that nanotechnology will be used in 40% of the food industries by 2015.

There are four key focus areas for nanotechnology food research:
• Nano-modification of seed and fertilisers/ pesticides
• Food ‘fortification’ and modification
• Interactive ‘smart’ food
• ‘Smart’ packaging and food tracking

Nanotechnology Application In Car Industry

Another possible application for nanotechnology is in the area of fuel cell technology and with respect to efficient pollutant filters. The target in this case is to drastically reduce fuel consumption, pollutant emissions and vehicle wear. One possible first step could be the coating of the inlet valves of catalytic converters. In the case of direct injection petrol engines, burnt fuel re-enters the combustion chamber through these inlet valves, and as a rule, unwanted hydrocarbons then deposit themselves inside the chamber. A catalytic valve coating breaks them up and prevents depositing from taking place. BMW has already introduced onto the market a catalytically coated filter system for diesel cars that is able to function without any need for additional fuel. In the distant future filters could be developed that, with the help of nanopores or forests of carbon nano-tubes, are able to capture pollutants even more efficiently. Adding nano-additives to petrol or cylinder walls could even result in catalytic converters being made redundant altogether. A definite timeframe for the introduction of these technological innovations has yet to be drawn up, however.

The engineers in BMW's materials concepts and simulations department are looking into all the various possible applications of nanotechnology, and in each area one engineer is responsible for keeping an eye on the technology, so that synergies can be used and possible applications discussed. According to Nikolaides there is no doubt whatsoever that the little helpers will facilitate driving in the future. Drivers, however, should dispel themselves of the notion that one day the existence of little nano-robots will result in problem-free driving. "That", says BMW's nanospecialist, "is something firmly in the realm of science fiction."

Nanotech-enabled Consumer Products Continue to Rise

WASHINGTON – Nanotech consumer products continue to grow at a consistent pace.

According to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) over 1,300 manufacturer-identified, nanotechnology-enabled products have entered the commercial marketplace around the world. The most recent update to the group’s five-year-old inventory reflects the continuing use of the tiny particles in everything from conventional products like non-stick cookware to more unique items such as self-cleaning window treatments.

“The use of nanotechnology in consumer products continues to grow on a rapid and consistent basis,” says PEN Director David Rejeski. “When we launched the inventory in March 2006 it contained 212 products. If the current trend continues, the number of products could reach 3,400 by 2020.”

Health and fitness items continue to dominate the PEN inventory, representing 56 percent of products listed. More products are based on nanoscale silver—used for its antimicrobial properties—than any other nanomaterial; 313 products (24 percent of the inventory) use silver nanoparticles. The updated inventory represents products from over 30 countries, including the US, China, Canada, Germany, and India. This update also identifies products that were previously available, but for which there is no current information.

“The initial goal of the inventory was to help educate consumers and encourage regulatory bodies to build internal capacity to track products. Unfortunately, as more and more nano-enabled products enter the marketplace, and despite ten years and billions of dollars of investment through the National Nanotechnology Initiative, oversight challenges for agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission still exist,” according to Dr. Todd Kuiken, a research associate with PEN.

With an ever increasing number of products becoming available from countries outside the U.S., environmental health and safety research strategies will need to be better coordinated. The release of the updated inventory preceeds a joint US-EU workshop, sponsored by the U.S. National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, which is designed to bridge environmental health and safety research strategies. Bridging NanoEHS Research Effort:/A joint US-EU Workshop will be held March 10-11 in Washington, D.C. To learn more visit www.nano.gov.

The PEN consumer products inventory includes products that have been identified by their manufacturer or a credible source as being nanotechnology-based. This update identifies products that were previously sold, but which may no longer be available. It remains the most comprehensive and widely used source of information on nanotechnology-enabled consumer products in the world.

2011 RISD Nanovation Winners Announced

Advancements in nanotechnology may one day save your life by improving safety in your car, providing water in the desert, or protecting firefighters in a burning building. The Rhode Island School of Design announced the winners of the 2011 Nanovation Prize, a competition that encourages design innovation made possible through nanotechnology. This year’s winners ranged from smarter crash test dummies to an innovative water harvesting system for arid climates.

The Nanovation Prize is designed to promote awareness of nano-scale science amongst design students. The top judged entry receives a cash award as well as help to further develop their invention toward commercialization. Laila Aukee, this year’s winner, envisioned a new coating for crash test dummies that uses microencapsulation technology to show bodily injury more effectively than existing technologies. An Honorable Mention went to Colette Bazirgan, who developed a water harvesting system patterned with hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions to draw moisture from the air in arid climates, and Megan Yuen received a Citation for firefighting gear tailored to be lighter and easier to move in while providing greater heat and impact protection.