BASF Shows Off Some Tantalizing Nanotech

Dan B. writes "The Technology section in The Age today is running a story on the current 'Next Generation' nanotech coming to a store near you from BASF. Interesting read, but I'd like some more info on the 10 hour batteries the size of a cigarette lighter."

Comments

Re:Timothy, my kid reads this site

[Mononoke]

First off, your joke is barely even laughable. Secondly, it's downright innappropriate for any kids or young teenagers to be reading on a site like this.

Yes. Words are bad. Children should be kept as far away as possible from words.

If mere words are so harmful to your children, then I fear for their future.

My children have been taught not to fear words or thoughts. I hope they're not too progressive for your world.

Re:What are the real applications?

[Mononoke]

When my work shoes need polishing, my wife does it...

Is that before you send her out to mend the fences and churn the butter, or after?

How about this?

[mehfu]

Manufactured products are made from atoms.

No shit, Sherlock...

Where's the "news"?

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a recap of press releases issued from 1999-2002. Seriously! They're even ordered chronologically in the thesis paragraph. I realize this because I've been keeping a local archive of every mnt-related press release that I've come across since 1998.

It's a well-written piece, a good article for the site it's on, and I wouldn't think it out of place in "USA Today" or "Popular Science," but why does a pointer to it belong on Slashdot? The newest piece of information in the article is about the "lotus effect cling", which was 'news' in 2001!

BASF doesn't make a lot of the killer nanotech

[saddino]

Bill Joy warned about. BASF makes a lot of the killer nanotech Bill Joy warned about better.

Re:ig farben

[Tempelherr]

IG Farben itself has quite an extensive history for anyone interested, especially with regard to its member's roles in WWI (manufacturing chlorine gas and potassium nitrate, which helped to alleviate Germany's dependance on Chilean imports) and WWII (producing poison gases, running work camps, ie Auschwitz). It was an incredibly huge and productive industry, also producing many other things, such as artifical rubber.

After WWII, most of the assets of the IG were transferred to Agfa, Hoechst, Bayer, and of course BASF. If I recall correctly though, the IG is actually going to be dissolved some time in 2003, though I am not sure when. Anyone know when this is scheduled to happen?

I'm definitely looking forward to some of the products that BASF is developing, especially the hydrogen gas battery. That is going to nice if/when it ever reaches the masses.

Drexler

[nanobug]

At the last Foresight Conference Eric Drexler expressed his frustration at the amount of hype and effort going into research and development on this psuedo nanotechnology. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and getting "nano" into their products.

Real nanotechnology, often called molecular nanotechnology, consists of actual manipulation of atoms into molecules and structures with useful properties, and will make most of the current claims of nano products look extremely weak. But no-one knows exactly how to do it just yet!

Lots of progress is being made on the research front, and they will get there, but anyone who tells you they have nanotechnology products available now or in the near future are talking about the weak versions of nanotechnology that have been around for thousands of years. See here for a better description of the distinction between weak and strong nanotechnology.