Nanotube Applications Grow And Grow

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Nanotube Applications Grow And Grow

Posted by timothy on Wednesday July 2, 2003 @04:59AM from the or-shrink-and-shrink dept.

HobbySpacer writes "Carbon nanotubes are starting to transition from interesting laboratory curiosities into interesting technological applications. These apps include non-volatile RAM, flat screen displays, high strength fabrics, and smart skin for structures in aerospace and elsewhere. Perhaps if The Graduate was being made today, the one word for Benjamin Braddock's future would not be "plastics" but "nanotubes"."

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More relevant material by mao+che+minh · 2003-07-02 05:03 · Score: 5, Informative

NASA also has a page for it's nanotube developments at Johnson Space Center. The NSF is part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, and has it's own page as well.
And as far as commercial entities go, don't forget IBM's find back in September of 2002, which was making nanotubes with carbon instead of metal.
Bullet-proof nano-fabric? by Darken_Everseek · 2003-07-02 05:14 · Score: 5, Informative

That's all fine and dandy, but a bullet proof piece of clothing 'as light as a t-shirt' wouldn't so squat. Kevlar is a pretty light material too, the reason bullet proof vests are so heavy is because of the large impact absorbing plates. Without some impact absorbance, the bullet would just end up dragging a whole bunch of cloth into the gaping hole in your chest. You have to have something to absorb the kinetic energy; and a t-shirt just doesn't cut it.
1. Re:Bullet-proof nano-fabric? by Alric · 2003-07-02 05:43 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Maybe you shouldn't include Tolkien in your education series. All he said is that the cave troll skewered Frodo with the spear. Peter Jackson is the genius who decided to put Frodo against a wall so there would be no where for all of that kinetic energy to go except right into Frodo's tiny, weak little heart.
  
  Jackson needs the education; leave the one true god, errr Tolkien, out of this.
2. Re:Bullet-proof nano-fabric? by Gulik · 2003-07-02 06:27 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  All he said is that the cave troll skewered Frodo with the spear.
  
  Actually, upon re-reading the series, I was relieved to find that it was the captain of the Orc guard (not the troll) who got Frodo, and Frodo's side hurt for days afterwards. I don't believe there was any mention of him getting pinned against the wall, either. So, sadly, I think Jackson has to take the total weight of this particular nitpick.
Re:Clarke and Niven have some more apps... by CvD · 2003-07-02 06:22 · Score: 4, Informative

For those of you (like myself) wondering wtf those are:

Variable sword

shadow square wire

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