Nanotechnology + Art

            Nanotechnology has been something that has seemed so much like science fiction to me until the last several years. In one of my early chemistry classes the professor showed the class an image of atoms that had been individually manipulated with a scanning tunneling microscope. Immediately, I thought about how this technology would change medicine, art, and daily life for us all. I had no idea that it would happen so quickly though. It has already begun making daily life easier in the world of fashion and cleaning. My husband works for a media company in the video department, and last month he was editing a video for a company that was showcasing nanotechnology in their clothing. They were highlighting the technology that makes their products the best because the silver nanoparticles on the fabric neutralizes the bacteria and odor. This was the first thing I thought of when Dr. Gimzewski began talking about how nanotechnology is all around us in the first part of the lecture. Then he said that silver nanoparticles are used in socks, underwear, and sports equipment because it has an antimicrobial effect to stop the buildup of bacteria and microbes (Gimzewski). What a great way to use nanotechnology to benefit the average person in daily life. Maybe this excited me a lot because I’m also a wife and mother, but I’m going to start looking for more children’s clothes with silver nanoparticles now. 

            As Dr. Gimzewski mentioned IBM a couple times throughout his lectures I decided to see if they did anything else really interesting with the scanning tunneling microscope and I was very pleased with what I found. They created the smallest stop motion movie. This short film is called A Boy and His Atom, and it was created by moving individual atoms across a copper surface (Isaac). Obviously, to accomplish this advanced nanotechnology was used, but this video has an old classic video game feel to it. I think it’s a great way to show off this new technology for many to enjoy.

Works Cited:

A Boy and His Atom. Perf. IBM Researchers. IBM, 2013. Film. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSCX78-8-q0&hd=1>.

Freudenrich Ph.D., Craig. "How Atoms Work." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com. Web. 20 May 2015. < http://science.howstuffworks.com/atom10.htm>.

Gimzewski, James K. “Nanotech Jim pt3” UC online program. Youtube, 21 May 2012. Web. 19 May 2015. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0HCNiU_108&hd=1>.

Isaac, Hamza. "10 Unconventional Uses of Nanotechnology - Listverse." Listverse. Listverse Ltd, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 20 May 2015. <http://listverse.com/2014/12/01/10-unconventional-uses-of-nanotechnology/>.

USC Viterbi School of Engineering. "Illumin - Silver Nanoparticles: A Valuable Weapon in Microbial Warfare." Illumin -A Review of Engineering in Everyday Life. Illumin. Web. 20 May 2015. < https://illumin.usc.edu/244/silver-nanoparticles-a-valuable-weapon-in-microbial-warfare/>.