Week 8 - Nanotechnology + Art

DESMA BLOG – WEEK 8
Nanotechnology + Art

This week’s topic about nanotechnology helped to further convince me that science continues to play a key role in creating new forms of art.   Nanotechnology is about the manipulation of matter smaller than 100 nanometers, which is about the same size of a tennis ball in comparison to the earth.  This rapidly growing field took off in the early 1980s and has since been changing the way we approach science, consumer products, and how we treat cancer patients.  In 1981, a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was developed to view three-dimensional images of samples at the atomic level.  The “age of the immaterial was truly inaugurated” (Gimzewski and Vesna).  
In 1986, the first STM was produced for commercial purposes.

There are a wide variety of products incorporating nanotechnology that are available to consumers.  Nanoparticles are one of the largest segments in the commercial marketplace today.  Everyday items such as socks and sportswear contain nanoparticles that never smell and can be worn for a long time.  Other products include self-cleaning fabrics such as Dockers pants, upholstery, and self-cleaning glass.  The applications and benefits seem endless.  According to Christian Orfescu, a nanotechnologist and artist, “more than 70% of the people in the U.S. use nanotech products and nobody knows exactly how safe they are” (Feder).  Wilson Sporting Goods created tennis balls that retain pressure and last twice as long as conventional tennis balls.  The balls have a coating of clay nanoparticles on the inner core and the clay acts as a sealant, making it difficult for air to escape.    
The core of the tennis ball on the left is covered by a polymer-clay nanocomposite coating

The most impactful use of nanotechnology is its ability to improve human life.  Nanomeds such as Abraxane, an anti-breast cancer medicine, have proven effective because it is soluble and non-toxic.  Scientists are now able to manipulate materials and improve chemotherapy treatments.   The general public should become more aware of nanotechnology as I believe that the benefits of nanomeds will ultimately have an enormous impact on global health.   However, as new technologies and procedures are developed, new questions and concerns will arise.  We need to make sure that we are able to balance the benefits and potential downsides and risks of nanotechnologies.  Although we cannot actually see nanotechnology, we can better appreciate it by sensing it through art and by utilizing products containing nanoparticles.   
Nano medicine refers to intervention in the medical field for curing diseases repairing damaged tissues.  


Sources

"Art in the Age of Nanotechnology." Art.Base. Art.Base, 11 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 May
      28, 2017. 

AZoM, Written By. "Tennis Balls with Improved Property Retention Thanks to
Nanocomposite Coating." AZoM.com. AZoNetwork, 11 June 2013. Web. 27 May 28,  2017. 

Baldwin, Gary. "What Is Nanomedicine." Welcome to Nanomedicine. British Society
     for Nanomedicine, 2012. Web. 27 May 2017. 

Corsairs, Iain. "Nanotechnology." ScienceAndReligion.com. Wordpress, 11 Dec. 2011.
     Web. 27 May 2017. 

Feder, Barnaby J. "The Art of Nanotech." The New York Times. The New York Times,
     25 Jan. 2008. Web. 27 May 2017. 

Gimzewski, Jim.  Narr.  “Nanotech + Art Lectures I – VI.” N.p., web.  May 2012




Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Verna. "The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact &
     Fiction in the Construction of a New Science.”  
    artF5VG.htm. N.p., 23 Nov. 2012. Web. 27 May 2017. 
Lilley, Maiken. "The Art of Nanotech." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 18 Nov.  
     2010. Web. 27 May 2017. 

"Scanning Tunneling Microscope." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 May 2017
      Web. 27 May 2017.

Comments

  1. Ann BrightMay 30, 2017 at 9:42 PM

    Even with doing some research on nanotechnology, I did not realize the extent to which it has entered the commercial market through things like socks and tennis balls. As of right now, it seems that most uses of nanotechnology are innocent and intended to make aspects of human life easier, or certainly more convenient. But, as is the case when anything begins to play an essential role in daily life, I worry that the use of nanotechnology will be taken too far and by then, it will be too late as nanotechnology will be all around us.

    ReplyDelete

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