The full conference program and brochure are now available for the upcoming Productive Nanosystems Roadmap conference on Oct. 9-10 in the DC area, sponsored by Foresight and SME with support from Battelle. Productive nanosystems are molecular-scale systems that make other useful materials and devices that are nanostructured. The Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems has examined [...]

Here in the U.S. we set up nanotechnology corporations all the time. There’s some paperwork involved, and some legal fees. The founders, angel investors, and VCs might sit on the board. In Russia, they still do things differently: Putin Inked Bill on Nanotechnology Corp Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has inked the Bill on Russia’s Nanotechnology [...]

A while back we mentioned an article in Nanotechnology Law & Business in which the author seemed not to have done his homework. A rebuttal letter should be in the September issue, and we have reproduced it below. Sure enough, the NLB author did not do his homework at all, apparently. Tisk, tisk! Where were [...]

Here’s a possibly fun (though certainly not easy) job related to nanotechnology that doesn’t require you to be highly technical. It’s more on the managerial/policy side: PROGRAM MANAGER CENTER FOR NANOTECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU) seeks a Program Manager to organize and [...]

We keep hearing about the goal of a hydrogen economy, but when you dig into the idea there are loads of problems. Nanotechnology to the rescue! Michael Berger of Nanowerk has prepared a quick layperson’s overview of the issues and prospective nanotech solutions. Excerpts: And here is the dirty little secret: while politicians and the [...]

Most of us are somewhat-to-very concerned about climate change — how can nanotechnology help? Nanowerk brings our attention to a UK report (pdf) looking at how relatively conservative nanotech advances could make a contribution: The study concludes that nanotechnology is likely to have a significant positive effect on the UK’s green house gas emissions: “From [...]

In the process of preparing a nanotechnology Code of Conduct, the European Commission is requesting public input on a consultation paper. It sounds as though everyone is welcome to contribute. Being from Europe, the paper cites the precautionary principle, but goes further by listing some areas which may be too risky or unethical or rights-violating [...]

We at Foresight like to speculate on the future of nanotechnology and the human body, so if you do as well, you’ll want to join the webinar this Friday, July 20 at 9 AM to 1 PM eastern time (US) called the 3rd Annual Workshop on Geoethical Nanotechnology. The live presentations, including audio, video, and [...]

Today I was privileged to serve as Co-Chair of the Clean Water session at the IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council‘s annual meeting “Nanotech: From Promise to Reality“. This year’s theme was Creating a Sustainable Environment. Our session’s first speaker was Olgica Bakajin of Lawrence Livermore, who is using carbon nanotubes to filter water. [...]

In the postal mail today was the paper copy of a 6-7 July 2006 conference report: “The Risk Governance of Nanotechnology: Recommendations for Managing a Global Issue” (link to PDF) held at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue last summer. This well-run and highly international meeting is the highest profile meeting to include consideration [...]

The University of South Carolina has released a survey of nanotechnology researchers’ views on various nanotech issues. For example, most agreed that: Nanotechnology will draw more students into science, engineering and math than would otherwise have chosen to study in these fields. I think this is already true — after all, students have been reading [...]

The U.S. National Academy of Engineering wants input on what should be the Grand Challenges in engineering over the next century. Let’s let them know: nanotechnology! Specifically, nanotech leading toward, and achieving, productive nanosystems. Heck, they can just follow the Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems. The IEEE has a summary. You have until August 17, [...]

Here at Foresight we like to present a balanced picture of nanotechnology, pushing for the benefits and heading off downsides. To do this, it’s necessary to discuss those nanotech downsides especially when someone asks about them. Earth & Sky asked me, and put the audio on the web: Upcoming, said Peterson, are issues of privacy [...]

Ralph Hermansson writes about nanotechnology safety in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. He had interviewed me for the piece: Bacteria-proof forks and knives. Pants that never get stains. Computer chips with a considerably better memory, making conventional chips seem almost senile. Sports equipment made of materials that are much harder yet more lightweight than today. Science [...]

It will be a while before nanotechnology can make artificial molecular machine systems as amazing as nature’s, but we can be inspired and get great ideas from what biological nanotech already does. On the Strangepaths.com blog we can see a very cool video animation of DNA replication, complete with sound effects (not realistic sounds of [...]

We’ve mentioned Russian activity in nanotechnology here before, but I hadn’t quite realized the scale of Russian nanotech plans until this article in RIA Novosti: First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, who is in charge of high-technology development, said in June the government would allocate 200 billion rubles ($7.7 billion) to develop nanotechnology until 2015. [...]

Jim Lewis’s Weekly News Digest (see Join Email List at upper right) brings to our attention a New Scientist piece on work by Mihri Ozkan of UC Riverside and colleagues in the US and Italy combining quantum dots and viruses to make nanoscale memory devices: The researchers have successfully performed a number of read-write-erase cycles [...]

This Friday, July 6, is the deadline for early registration for 3rd Annual Symposium on nanotech put on by the IEEE SF Bay Area Nanotechnology Council. The focus this year is on “Creating a Sustainable Environment,” especially with respect to clean energy and clean water. As a longtime IEEE member, I’m glad to see the [...]