Do you know what nanotechnology is?

 Nanotechnology is a field of “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Mathematics) based on the study and use of very tiny materials, called nanomaterials,
many of which have only just been developed in the past 15 years.
 Nanotechnology uses practical applications of nanomaterials to find high-tech solutions
to some of the “real world’s” most long-standing concerns in a wide variety of fields.
 For example, nanotechnology is forecasted to radically change the way medicine
is practiced, improving medical devices and drug delivery methods enabling fully
personalized diagnosis and treatment; to give rise to truly green and sustainable
energy generation and storage; to ensure worldwide access to a safe, disease-free,
desalinated water supply through high-volume, portable nanotech filtration systems;
and to dramatically improve homeland security and military surveillance operations.
 In the near future, nanotechnology will have a direct impact on our lives, independent
of our location, career, or social position.
Five ways nanotechnology is securing your future:

1. Doctors inside your body:

Wearable fitness technology means we can monitor our health by strapping gadgets to ourselves.
There are even prototype electronic tattoos that can sense our vital signs. But by scaling down
this technology, we could go further by implanting or injecting tiny sensors inside our bodies.
This would capture much more detailed information with less hassle to the patient, enabling
doctors to personalise their treatment.
The possibilities are endless, ranging from monitoring inflammation and post-surgery recovery
to more exotic applications whereby electronic devices actually interfere with our body's signals
for controlling organ function. Although these technologies might sound like a thing of the far
future, multi-billion healthcare firms such as GlaxoSmithKline are already working on ways to
develop so-called "electroceuticals".

2. Sensors, sensors, everywhere

These sensors rely on newly-invented nanomaterials and manufacturing techniques to make them

smaller, more complex and more energy efficient. For example, sensors with very fine features
can now be printed in large quantities on flexible rolls of plastic at low cost. This opens up the
possibility of placing sensors at lots of points over critical infrastructure to constantly check that
everything is running correctly. Bridges, aircraft and even nuclear power plants could benefit.
3. Self-healing structures:

If cracks do appear then nanotechnology could play a further role. Changing the structure of
materials at the nanoscale can give them some amazing properties – by giving them a texture that
repels water, for example. In the future, nanotechnology coatings or additives will even have the
potential to allow materials to "heal" when damaged or worn. For example, dispersing
nanoparticles throughout a material means that they can migrate to fill in any cracks that appear.
This could produce self-healing materials for everything from aircraft cockpits to
microelectronics, preventing small fractures from turning into large, more problematic cracks.

4. Making big data possible:

All these sensors will produce more information than we've ever had to deal with before – so
we'll need the technology to process it and spot the patterns that will alert us to problems. The
same will be true if we want to use the "big data" from traffic sensors to help manage congestion
and prevent accidents, or prevent crime by using statistics to more effectively allocate police
resources.
Here, nanotechnology is helping to create ultra-dense memory that will allow us to store this
wealth of data. But it's also providing the inspiration for ultra-efficient algorithms for processing,
encrypting and communicating data without compromising its reliability. Nature has several
examples of big-data processes efficiently being performed in real-time by tiny structures, such
as the parts of the eye and ear that turn external signals into information for the brain.

Computer architectures inspired by the brain could also use energy more efficiently and so would
struggle less with excess heat – one of the key problems with shrinking electronic
devices further.

5. Tackling climate change:

The fight against climate change means we need new ways to generate and use electricity, and
nanotechnology is already playing a role. It has helped create batteries that can store more energy
for electric cars and has enabled solar panels to convert more s … ght into electricity.

The common trick in both applications is to use nanotexturing or nanomaterials (for example
nanowires or carbon nanotubes) that turn a flat surface into a three-dimensional one with a much
 greater surface area. This means that there is more space for the reactions that enable energy
storage or generation to take place, so the devices operate more efficiently

In the future, nanotechnology could also enable objects to harvest energy from their
environment. New nano-materials and concepts are currently being developed that show
potential for producing energy from movement, light, variations in temperature, glucose and
other sources with high conversion efficiency.

HOW IS NANOTECHNOLOGY BEING USED TODAY?

Nanotechnology is being used to make surfaces self-cleaning and stay clean for a long time.
Nanotech can be found in cosmetics, sunscreens, clothing and many other consumer products
today.
Nanotechnology products

 
TYPES OF NANOMATERIALS

 Carbon Nanotubes
Fullerenes and Buckyballs
Dendrimers
Fine and Ultrafine Particulates in Air
Quantum Dots and Nanocrystals
Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles
Silver nanoparticles
Silver nanowire
Other nano-sized particles

 
NANOTECHNOLOGY RISKS

Ready or not, here it comes. In the next 20 years, nano-technology will touch the life of nearly
every person on the planet. The potential benefits are mind boggling and brain enhancing. But
like many of the great advancements in earth's history, it is not without risk. Here are some of the
risks posed to society by nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology risks

 
NANOBOTS
Nanobots do not exist yet, but when they do, futurists predict possible uses for nanorobots will
include molecular manufacturing (nanofactories) and medical nanobots that steer autonomously
through your blood stream making repairs and guarding against infection.
Nanobots

 
NANOTECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE

Nanomedicine is promising great things, including great advancements in the treatment of

cancer. Imagine swarms of nanobots swimming through your veins, repairing cells or attacking
viruses. On second thought, get that image out of your mind, it's a bit creepy. Just close your
eyes and wait for the healing to begin.

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN FORENSIC SCIENCE:

Nano Trackers

Trackers and barcodes are used to track down stolen or missing products. These barcodes help to
prove the authenticity of an item and prevent duplicating or counterfeiting products of reputed
brands.

Barcoding plays a significant role in keeping the brand’s reputation, and also prevents economic
loss. Nanotechnology has developed various nanofibers and nanodots with color codes that could
help detect fake products.

It is also extremely useful for maintaining prison security that prevents convicts from
absconding. Nano trackers are injected into the prisoner’s body, enabling the duty officers to
monitor the movement of a convict. Even after an individual is released, this tracker keeps a
detailed footprint of their movement and has helped prevent subsequent crimes by the same
criminal.

Nanotechnology is also relevant to solve cases related to cybercrime and sting operations
(authentication of tapes and identification of speakers).

Drug-Facilitated Crime (DFC) and the Use of Gold Nanoparticles

DFC is commonly known as “date rape” and involves psychotropic substances which impair the
decision-making capacity or behavioral control of an individual.
These drugs are used in various criminal activities such as rape and other heinous sexual assault
on all age groups (minors to adults). It is also used for money extortion and robbery.

While following the existing conventional methods for the detection of these kinds of drugs,
forensic experts face a lot of challenges in terms of sensitivity, cost-effectiveness, and other
instrumental limitations. Recently, researchers have developed a smart and efficient method for
the identification of these illicit drugs with the help of nanotechnology.

This “smart” system uses citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (probe) and smartphone camera
(analysis device) for quick qualitative and quantitative detection of codeine sulfate. This method
is highly beneficial because of its ultra-sensitivity to detect a minute amount of codeine sulfate
on-spot with great accuracy by analyzing the colorimetric changes in the probe.

Gold nanoparticles have also proved to be efficient for the detection of trace amounts of
clonazepam.

Using Nanotechnology to Estimate the Time of Death

Estimation of the exact time of death is a vital factor in crime investigation. In the conventional
system, various parameters are analyzed to predict the time of death. Some of the important
parameters are:

 Changes in the eye

 Rigor mortis
 Postmortem hypostasis
 Contents of the urinary bladder
 Changes in decomposition 

However, conventional methods can only predict an approximate time of death. Researchers
believe that nanotechnology, i.e., fluorescent nanoparticles could be used to estimate the level of
amino acids (VH) with the help of flow cytometry.

NANOTEHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING VIDEO LINK:

https://youtu.be/wxFbYoF7SLc