Home > News > Nanobionics - where the boundaries between electronics and biology become fuzzy
July 16th, 2007
Nanobionics - where the boundaries between electronics and biology become fuzzy
Abstract:
In case you are not old enough to remember the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man during the 1970s, the show was about an astronaut, Steve Austin, who got severely injured during a crash and became a guinea pig for bionics experiments by the CIA. In an operation that cost six million dollars, his right arm, both legs and the left eye are replaced by bionic (cybernetic) implants that vastly enhanced his strength, speed and vision. Never mind Hollywood, though, but bionics - a word formed from biology and electronics - has become a serious research field. In particular the development of artificial muscles is progressing rapidly. Nature's solution to producing fast contracting muscles is to use nanotechnology. The challenge for scientists is to mimic the intricacy of natural muscle in their artificial-muscle systems. As material scientists and engineers delve into the nanodomain, the boundaries between electronics and biology become fuzzy and this is exactly what they want: a seamless transition between the hard world of electronics and the soft world of biology.
Source:
nanowerk.com
Bookmark:
Nanomedicine
UofL scientists uncover how grapefruits provide a secret weapon in medical drug delivery May 22nd, 2013
Single-Cell Transfection Tool Enables Added Control for Biological Studies: McCormick researchers develop method of delivering molecules into targeted cells May 22nd, 2013
How Gold Nanoparticles Can Help Fight Ovarian Cancer May 21st, 2013
MU Researchers Develop Radioactive Nanoparticles that Target Cancer Cells: This is an early step toward developing therapies for metastasized cancers, MU scientist says May 21st, 2013
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals
UofL scientists uncover how grapefruits provide a secret weapon in medical drug delivery May 22nd, 2013
Single-Cell Transfection Tool Enables Added Control for Biological Studies: McCormick researchers develop method of delivering molecules into targeted cells May 22nd, 2013
International survey supports need for built-in water protection on smartphones and tablets May 21st, 2013
Rice unveils method for tailoring optical processors: Arranging nanoparticles in geometric patterns allows for control of light with light May 21st, 2013
Human Interest/Art
Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree: A nano end for Christmas tree needles January 2nd, 2013
INIC Inks MoU to Apply Nanotechnology in Iran's Carpet Industry December 18th, 2012
IBN Welcomes Its First 9-Year-Old ‘Scientist’: IBN and Make-A-Wish Foundation Singapore Make Kidney Patient’s Dream Come True December 10th, 2012
The music of the silks: Researchers synthesize a new kind of silk fiber — and find that music can help fine-tune the material’s properties November 28th, 2012
Nanobiotechnology
Single-Cell Transfection Tool Enables Added Control for Biological Studies: McCormick researchers develop method of delivering molecules into targeted cells May 22nd, 2013
Researchers Perform Fastest Measurements Ever Made of Ion Channel Proteins May 20th, 2013
Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013
DNA-Guided Assembly Yields Novel Ribbon-Like Nanostructures: Approach could be useful in fabricating new kinds of materials with engineered properties May 16th, 2013