Technology Information

India’s auto industry is the ninth-largest in the world, as this emerging market makes the switch from motor scooters to cars. Following an economic liberalization in 1991, Tata Motors emerged as the biggest Indian manufacturer, capturing 70% of the commercial market. Their latest innovation was the production of the Nano car, which many analysts say was “a game changer” in the way cars are made and marketed. Now American companies like Ford and General Motors are examining how they can get involved in this market.

This September, Tata Motors (India’s biggest auto manufacturer) unveiled the cheapest car to hit the road. The Nano has been referred to by the company as “the People’s Car,” which will cost motorists just 1 Pakistani lakh (or $2,500 in US dollars). Even though commodity prices have risen significantly, Tata has kept its four-year promise to consumers by keeping the cost to them unbelievably low. The four-door sedan seats four people, runs off a two-cylinder gas engine in the rear, gets 50 miles to the gallon and features an all-sheet metal body that looks very much like the Mercedes Smart Car. Drivers who are used to creature comforts like air conditioning, power steering, antilock brakes, electric windows and rear seatbelts may be disappointed to learn that this gem of nanoscience carries none of those things. Some of these Nano accessories — like air conditioning — may be available at an extra cost, but leaving out some of the fanciness is part of the allure with this simple vehicle.

So how does Tata Motors make a car for so cheap? One way is by using cheaper manpower from Thailand manufacturing plants and searching online auctions for 45% of their supplies (compared to other major auto firms that use auctions for just 10-15%). The India-based company also has access to low-cost steel and aluminum. Other cost-cutting features include using a single windshield wiper, rather than two; three nuts per wheel, rather than four; one side view mirror instead of two; simplifying the door opening levers; and accessing the boot by folding down the back seats, rather than creating another opening component.

As predicted, Tata Motors’ new Nano has sent ripples through the car market, as other manufacturers look for innovative ways to compete. This month, US automaker Ford Motor Co. announced that it would begin manufacturing the four-door Figo in India, with secondary plants throughout China. While they were reticent to reveal the price, one analyst says he anticipates the Ford Figo to sell for ,000 - ,000, which will put it in close competition with the luxury line of Nano car offerings. “This new car will be a game changer,” said Michael Boneham, president of Ford India. “It will give us muscle in the heart of the Indian market.”

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Science is an amazing and wonderful thing. It has helped people in more ways than they even realize. If it were not for great scientific advances the healthcare industry, automobile industry and the computer industry would not be where it is today. So what does the future hold for people where science is concerned? Nanotechnology is one of the most pioneering fields today. Within its confines there are worlds of applications that it can be used. You may have thought that it was delegated only to the minds of Science Fiction writers but it is real and it is in use today. This article is designed to help you understand the applications that nanotech has in today’s society. You may be surprised to learn that there is more to it than you might have previously thought.

Who first discovered nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology was first theorized more so than discovered. The first concepts that set the groundwork came from physicist Richard Feynman during a speech in December of 1959. Feynman conceptualized the processes that became the fundamentals on nanotech. The actual term was coined by Japanese professor Norio Taniguchi while teaching at the Tokyo Science University in 1974. Doctor K. Eric Drexler independently chose the same term when he published manuscripts on the topic in 1986.

How is nanotechnology used?

Nanotechnology has uses in the fields of electronics, medicine, chemistry, and material science. In short, it has uses in every aspect of our daily lives. Automobiles constructed with stronger, lighter materials to improve gas mileage and increase occupant safety, increased portability and reduced size for personal electronics, anti-microbial bandages that prevent infection, hydrogen fuel cells for green energy, and super-conductive materials are but a few of the current uses made possible by nanotech. Even sporting goods companies have produced “nano” products, using carbon nanotube reinforced graphite to reduce weight and increase strength.

How is nanotechnology used in the medical field?

Medical nanotechnology has been come one of the most active fields in research and development. Scientists have already developed several methods to improve patient care, with numerous others just over the horizon. Drug delivery systems that will target only the cells that require the medication will reduce costs while using less medicine. Imaging enhancements will provide more accurate ultrasound and MRI images allowing doctors to identify and treat problems locally. Of particular focus is the promise of improved cancer treatments. Laboratory tests have already been conducted utilizing gold coated nanotubes to destroy cancer cells with harmless infrared radiation.

What regulations are in place for the use of nanotechnology?

At this time, there are very few regulatory agencies in place that oversee the use of nanotechnology. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has a limited authority, considering products after their initial development. Provisions allotted to the Environmental Protection Agency from the Toxic Substances Control Act have laid the groundwork for regulation, but still require refinement to adequately deal with these new substances. Of concern, current toxic substances are rated by mass, usually in kilograms. If nano particles are found to be toxic, they will need to be classified by a newer, more definitive category.

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Did you know that nano-materials can be found in tennis racquets, water shorts, foot powder, sunscreen and over 580 other consumer products? Well-known brands like Samsung, Chanel, Black & Decker, L.L. Bean, Lancome and L’Oreal are just a few of the companies doing nanotechnology research. “The use of nanotechnology and nano-materials in consumer products and industrial applications is growing rapidly, and the products listed in the inventory are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Andrew Maynard, a science advisor for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. “How consumers respond to these early products–in food, electronics, health care, clothing and cars–will be a bellwether for broader market acceptance of nanotechnologies in the future.” As it turns out, most consumers know little to nothing about nanoscience and there is some concern that products are being produced at a rapid pace, without enough oversight.

A recent report (”A Hard Pill To Swallow: Barriers to Effective FDA Regulation of Nanotechnology-Based Dietary Supplements”) details some of the current problems with FDA oversights and nanotechnology research. “Historically, the regulation of dietary supplements has been a significant challenge for the FDA, and the fact that some of those products are now being manufactured using nanotechnology creates an additional layer of complexity,” explains former FDA official William B. Schultz. There is some fear among researchers that nano-materials, being so small, may have the ability to migrate into the bloodstream and directly into a cell’s nucleus. “It is not clear that the supplement industry is conducting the rigorous testing needed either to understand the effects of nanoscale ingredients in its products or to back up the product claims. This means that consumers are potentially exposed to unknown risks that should be balanced with the possible benefits of taking these supplements,” says David Rejeski, PEN’s director.

So what does the Food and Drug Administration say about nanotechnology applications? “In light of this fast-rising commercialization, the FDA needs to make certain that it has the tools, resources and information necessary to ensure the safety of novel products before they enter the market, and to detect and move swiftly to correct any problems that may arise,” says David Rejeski, director of nanotechnology research for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). “Given the agency’s insufficient resources, which for two decades have not kept pace with inflation, making sure that the FDA has the capacity to safely manage nanotechnology must be the shared responsibility of Congress and our political leaders. The agency must be ‘nano-ready’ for the products on the market today and able to deal with the more advanced nanotechnology applications expected in the next 5-10 years.”

In a report released this past August, David Rand, Robert Hurt and colleagues noted that exposure to large amounts of nano-particles had adverse effects on adult fruit flies. During the nanotechnology research experiment, flies injected with the contaminants transferred nano-materials to other adult flies, causing incapacitation or death. However, fly larvae and flies that simply ate nano-particles showed no such reactions. Scientists say that many more tests must be done to examine the relationship between transmission of nano-particles and long-term effects of these materials.

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Nanotubes are rolled up sheets of carbon atoms measuring just one atom thick. These single-wall tubes are unusually sensitive to nearby molecules, researchers say. At Stanford University, scientists discovered that a carbon nanotube network can detect the presence of underwater toxins or explosions. Mark Roberts, a postdoctoral researcher at Sandia National Laboratories explains, “By combining our nanotube self-sorting deposition process with our ultra thin, cross-linked polymer dielectric [insulator] formulation, we’ve enabled underwater, nanotube-based chemical sensors.” This is just one of the exciting studies being done.

Researchers have discovered that carbon nanotubes in mass quantities can have a number of vital nanotechnology applications. Using large nanotube sheets, these nano-sized superstars can conduct electricity, emit light or heat, absorb solar power, create more flexible surfaces, provide even light distribution and strengthen sails. “When you have a remarkable material, it’s easy to make advances in terms of applications,” said head researcher Ray Baughman at the University of Texas, Dallas. Truly, carbon nano tubes are the way of the future.

To create a string of nanotubes, scientists assemble trillions of strings of individual carbon nano tubes, which are comprised of cylindrical sheets of carbon atoms. In the past, nano sheets were made much like paper is made, by filtering solutions full of nano tubes, peeling the nanomaterials off and letting them dry for a week. Today, lab workers can grow nano forests of bundles stacked vertically, drawing numerous tiny tubes to sheets of duct tape, producing seven meters of sheets per minute. Ray Baughman explains: “A trillion nano tubes must be automatically rotated by about 90 degrees and self-assembled in a parallel fashion for every meter-long, 7 centimeter-wide sheet that we make.”

Nanotubes are incredibly small, versatile and responsive to the molecules surrounding them. As a result, scientists are curious to see how they may be able to sense toxins and treat chemical spills. They want to see how nanotubes can be used medically to detect, identify and treat life-threatening diseases. They want to examine how the carbon nanotube and the inorganic nanotube can be used to create stronger industrial materials and longer lasting energy cells. The possibilities are limitless, but it’s important that the proper protocol is followed, that tests are conducted and that it is safe to work with such tiny and powerful particles.

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In 2005, the breast cancer drug Abraxane became an approved cancer treatment that uses nano technology particles. A recent study conducted by Northwestern University in Chicago found that Abraxane prolonged the time of cancer progression by seven months and that it was a good “first-line therapy for women with metastatic breast cancer.” With Abraxane, there is no need for a chemical solvent and therefore, there are little to no side effects. Compared to Taxotrene, women were less likely to have drops in white blood cells and less likely to feel fatigued. “The weekly schedule of Abraxane has more anti-tumor effects and is better tolerated than Taxotere. There is also evidence that Abraxane is able to deliver the chemotherapy drug more effectively to the tumor,” a report concluded. Not surprisingly, nanoscience is one of the driving forces in cancer research these days.

Canadian researchers at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario have developed a microchip using nanomaterials that they hope will lead to a portable cancer-diagnosing device. They say the medical nanotechnology will be able to detect chemical markers indicating the presence of cancer within 30 minutes and will even be able to alert doctors to the type and severity of the cancer. So far, scientists have successfully tested the nano technology on prostate cancer patients. “The discovery by Dr. Kelley and her team offers the possibility of a faster, more cost-effective technology that could be used anywhere,” said Tom Hudson of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.

Researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina are using nano technology to discover new cancer-fighting drugs. The “Lab-on-Bead” method screens millions of chemicals simultaneously, fitting 1,000 on a single strand of human hair. “This process allows the beads to do the work for you,” explains project director Jed Macosko. “By working at this scale, we will be able to screen more than a billion possible drug candidates per day as opposed to the current limit of hundreds of thousands per day.” They are using chemicals from the Université Louis Pasteur in France and, if all goes well, their findings will go commercial with nanotechnology company NanoMedica.

Nano technology called “nano-bees” is one of the latest cancer-destroying nano particles on the market. These nanomaterials deliver a synthesized toxin called “melittin” that is commonly found in bees. Even though melittin would injure red blood cells if injected directly, it’s “completely safe when it’s on a nanoparticle,” explains Dr. Samuel Wickline, director of the Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The nano-bees travel directly to the tumor cells and leave the rest of the cells in tact. The nano-bees are attracted to a specific protein associated with tumors and could care less about healthy cells. So far scientists say it works great in mice, and clinical human trials are expected to begin mid-next year.

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