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Summary: Nanorobot devices now perform a wide variety of tasks at the nanoscale in a wide variety of fields including but not limited to fields such as manufacturing, medicine, supply chain, biology, and outer space. Nanorobotics: Current Approaches and Techniques is a comprehensive overview of this interdisciplinary field with a wide ranging discussion that includes nano-manipulation and industrial nanorobotics, nanorobotics in biology and medicine, nanorobotic sensing, navigation and swarm behavior, and protein and DNA-based nanorobotics. Also included is the latest on topics such as bio-nano-actuators and propulsion and navigation of nanorobotic systems using magnetic fields. Nanorobotics: Current Approaches and Techniques is an ideal book for scientists, researchers, and engineers actively involved in applied and robotic research and development.

Spinodal decomposition is not the only way to make a bijel. Indeed, while spinodal decomposition produces structures with a potentially useful morphology, it can be challenging to make bijels using this method and the resulting systems can be hard to process and manipulate. Furthermore, exploiting the functional properties of the assembled particle monolayer is extremely challenging. In this chapter, we show how the assembly of nanoparticle surfactants at the liquid–liquid interface can be used to kinetically trap liquids into a wealth of complex structures without using spinodal decomposition. We apply liquid three-dimensional printing and moulding methods, along with patterned substrates with controllable wetting properties, to build all-liquid devices with applications in chemical synthesis, separation, and purification. The functional properties of the assembled nanomaterials can be exploited to produce interfacially structured liquids that are plasmonically and magnetically responsive. Finally, we conclude by arguing that, while the field shows great promise, efforts need to be made to translate liquid bicontinuous systems out of the laboratory and into meaningful, real-world applications, as well applications in more ‘exotic’ disciplines, such as synthetic biology.

In 2010, we developed a new imaging nanotechnology called Auger-architectomics, to study drug biosensors in nano-detail. We succeeded in applying Auger atom electron physics coupled to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Argon-etching to cell structure exploration, thereby exposing a new dimension in structure and element composition architecture. Auger-architectomics was used to expose the fate and effect of drugs on cells. This technology should now be expanded to diseased cells. This paper will outline the development, proof of concept, and application of this imaging nanotechnology. A virtual tour is available at: http://vimeo.com/user6296337 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature, plays an important role in physiological and pathological conditions. For this reason, the study of different anti-angiogenic drugs and its improvement is spread around the world. Nanotechnology gives novel opportunities to the development of new drugs. Based on nanosized systems, nanotechnology applied in medicine can improve the diagnosis and the treatment of the great majority of diseases. Nanomedicine has been applied in diagnosis, imaging and in drug delivery systems. Specifically in angiogenesis, researchers have developed new angiogenesis targeted nanosystems and have demonstrated that they can improve the diagnosis and the treatment of different diseases in areas like oncology, cardiology and ophthalmology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensors are being used for a wide range of applications. Some of the most intriguing applications are those that involve detecting infection and inflammation. This chapter covers some fundamentals of medical device infection as well as inflammation and how sensors are being used to detect such events. It is hoped that such sensors would detect bacteria presence before infection sets in and then indicate to a clinician that such infection has occurred. It is also hoped that sensors will be able to determine early events in inflammation to avoid chronic inflammation that has plagued numerous medical devices. This chapter summarizes such advances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology is the use of materials with at least one dimension less than 100 nm. Nanotechnology has already revolutionized numerous fields, from construction to computers. Recently, nanotechnology has also been used to improve disease detection and treatment by developing wireless in situ sensors. Importantly, the use of wireless technologies in medicine, such as wireless body area networks and wireless personal area networks, is not new as they provide many promising applications in medical monitoring systems to measure physiological data from specific anatomical areas. Nanotechnology can aid in the functioning of wireless medical devices since it can provide for materials smaller in size (thus, minimally interacting with tissues to invoke an immune response), better in properties (such as electronic), and more similar to those of natural tissues since natural tissues are composed of nanoscale entities. In fact, studies have demonstrated increased tissue growth, decreased inflammation, and decreased infection of numerous nanoscale compared to currently used micron-scale materials. Due to the above, an ever-expanding range of therapeutic and diagnostic applications are being pursued by academic and industrial researchers. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive review of recent developments in wireless sensor nanotechnology for monitoring and controlling cell responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter covers the use of DNA in biological sensing devices. Although DNA has been used for a number of years for in vitro sensing applications, there are several unique challenges to using DNA as in vivo sensors. This chapter covers some of the more significant advances in this field highlighting how these challenges are being met. In doing so, it emphasizes various ways DNA can be immobilized to implants to sense implant functionality. It also emphasizes various forms of DNA highlighting the advantages and disadvantages for in vivo sensor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology has enabled the creation of novel structures or devices with organization and structure at the molecular and atomic scale. Nano-dimensions impart distinctive properties compared to micron sized materials. In this chapter, we will review techniques for creation of micron and nanometer features on 2D substrates and 3D nanomaterials which have been used in tissue engineering applications. In the first half, we will review the latest advances in custom designed micro- and nano-substrates to enhance the phenotypic expressions of cells and mechanisms behind changes in cell behaviors. In the second half, we will focus on nanomaterials and discuss recent developments in both design and applications for tissue engineering and mechanisms behind cellular interactions with nanomaterials. In addition, an examination of the effects of nanomaterials on biocompatibility and cytotoxicity will be presented. Specific applications of nanomaterials in tissue engineering of connective, neural, muscular and boney tissue will also be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are critically important in the twenty-first century (National Research Council, 2006; National Science and Technology Council, 2007). This is the field in which major sciences are joining, blending, and integrating (Battelle Memorial Institute & Foresight Nanotech Institute, 2007; Goodsell, 2004). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the past two decades, the production, characterization and -application of nanotechnology has had exponential growth. In this study, nano-size materials in the liquid (micelles and liposome) and solid (nanoparticles) phases have been used to advance the technologies in the areas of materials (superconductors), environmental (waste treatment) and medical (drug delivery) applications. In order to produce nanoparticles of various sizes and shapes, many technologies are being used to achieve the results. In this study, ceramics and metal nanoparticles were produced using the solution, microemulsion and foam methods. Superconducting materials were produced using the microemulsion method. Nano-size iron and bimetallic particles were synthesized using the solution method, foam method and microemulsion method and particles were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), SEM, EDX and XRD. The goal of the drug delivery study was to develop asymmetric liposomes with cationic lipids in the inner leaflet to encapsulate negatively charged polynucleotides and to place neutral/anionic lipids on the outer leaflet to decrease non-specific cellular uptake/toxicity. Inverse emulsion particles (water in oil) with a single lipid leaflet of cationic were transported through water in oil layer, entrapping the second neutral lipid to form asymmetric liposomes. The stability and changes in size of the asymmetric liposomes were investigated for a period of a week using a DLS device. Asymmetric liposomes were nano-size and the liposomes were stable for the time period investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoscale characterization of a number of different properties of surfaces and interfaces includes topography, electrostatic and magnetic fields, material properties, tribological properties, piezoresponse, and surface potential. All these properties can be studied in flexible environments with minimal sample preparation and in ambient and liquid environments using scanning probe microscopy. This chapter will focus on two primary techniques: scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy. These modalities allow a surface scientist to characterize and study surfaces, interfaces, and surface reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of artificial devices (nanobots), working as blood white cells but addressed to the recognition and eventually the destruction of endogenous pathological states, is an ambitious goal. Swarm intelligence can be a key element to successfully tackle the challenges posed by this goal. Here we describe an applicative scenario, based on swarm of nanobots, by sketching the environment in which the nanobots operate, the constraints related to their physical implementation, and the tasks they have to tackle. In this scenario, we propose to use collisions between nanorobots as a way of communication inside the swarm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A journey into the future of medicine and the ethical concerns raised by the use of techniques of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and cognitive science for the purpose of human enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethical issues concerning nanotechnology and products based on research conducted at the nanoscale include toxicity, environmental impacts, the knowledge gap, and various risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter describes properties and applications of nanocomposites in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine with an emphasis on the impact of the nanophase on nanocomposite function. The nanophase can be used as a means to engineer new physical properties that improve the utility of tissue engineering scaffolds. Several examples of the use of the nanophase for mechanical reinforcement or drug delivery are discussed with an emphasis on understanding how nanoparticles are used to achieve the controlled release of macromolecules. Advances in nanotechnology, knowledge of mechanical reinforcement at the nanoscale level, and new strategies for controlled drug release will contribute to the next generation of nanocomposite-based scaffolds designed for regenerative medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this contribution is twofold: firstly, to describe methods of preparation, physical chemical properties, and potential issues of injectable hydrogel-based formulations from a tissue engineering perspective, and, secondly, to highlight their nanotechnological features and future potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A collection of technologies that operates, analyzes, and controls materials at the nanoscopic level, is now merging into the main stream of electronics with examples ranging from quantum-electronic lasers to memory devices, even Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (NEMS) known as the Nanotechnology. State variables are physical representations of information used to perform information processing via memory and logic functionality. Advances in material science, emerging nanodevices, nanostructures, and architectures have provided hope that alternative state variables based on new mechanisms, nanomaterials, and nanodevices may indeed be plausible. The review and analysis of the computational advantages that alternate state variables may possibly attain with respect to maximizing computational performance via minimum energy dissipation, maximum operating switching speed, and maximum device density is performed. An outlook of some important state variables for emerging nanoelectronic devices is suggested in the work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported is a study of applying nanofabrication technology to improve the surface roughness of micro glass pipettes to achieve giga ohm seal resistance in patch clamping processes. The surface roughness of pipette tips was first measured by 3D reconstruction of pipette tips using stereo imaging technique based on high resolution SEM images. Both the SEM images and the reconstructed images show that micro glass pipettes have rough and uneven tips which could be one of the causes of leakage in patch clamping. Then focused ion beam system was used to cut across the very end of the tip, producing a smooth and flat new tip. The average surface roughness Ra of a milled pipette tip was within a few nanometres. Patch clamping experiments were carried out using the polished pipettes on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), which were well known for their extremely flat shape making them very difficult to patch. The results show that above 3 Giga ohm seals were achieved in 60% of the experiments, as opposed to 1.5-2.0 GΩ in average with the conventional pipettes. The highest seal resistance achieved with a focused ion beam polished pipette was 9 GΩ, well above the 3 GΩ resistance, the usually best result achieved with a conventional pipette. The leakage current in single channel recording afterwards was found 0.3 pA, significantly smaller than 2-3 pA usually achieved using conventional pipettes. The research results demonstrate that the surface roughness of a pipette has a significant effect on the giga-seal formation of a patch clamping process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first goal in this paper is to discuss the fundamental principles, applications, advantages, and disadvantages of nanotechnology with a view of promoting the importance and validity of nanotechnology in the developed countries as well as the emerging developing countries in Africa and elsewhere. The second goal is intended to provoke critical thinking, analysis, medical applications, environmental and economic issues or implications involving nanotechnology. The third goal is to discuss the potential security threat that would pose world peace, should nanotechnology, nanodevices, nanomaterials fall into the wrong hands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy-elemental principles of organization and functioning of living H, p-elemental systems out of a biotic environment are scientifically based. Basics of an influence of changing factors of environment (C elements, E energy, S configuration of a way, V speed) on processes of organization and development of different forms of living organisms during several geological epochs are determined and graphically expressed. Creation of artificial biosystems as conjugation of elements and energies being task-oriented (on nanolevel) by intelligent natural biosystem (human being) is determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in the development of nanotechnology gradually bring the field into its next generation involving systems of nanosystems. These bring about opportunities for computer science researchers to contribute their work as guidelines for the realisation and development of nanorobot systems in the near future. It is anticipated that an early version of future nanorobots may potentially contain only essential characteristics and exhibit only simple behaviours. It is similar to social insects in nature; collaborative behaviour among such simple individual exhibits a remarkable degree of intelligence. Hence, swarm intelligence techniques inspired by social insects could potentially be applied for nanorobot control mechanism in self-assembly. This study models an early version of future nanorobots and a control mechanism using swarm intelligence, especially PPSO (the modification of PSO for physical applications), for self-assembly and self-repair to examine the minimal characteristics and functionality for future nanorobots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the implementation of an advanced multiplication algorithm on quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) nanotechnology, promising molecular density circuits with extreme operating frequencies, using a single homogeneous layer of the basic cells. The multiplier layout is verified with time-dependent quantum mechanical simulation, to ensure stable ground state computation under the fine-grained pipelining constraints of the technology. The novel design utilizes radix-4 modified Booth recoding and ultra-fast carry-save addition, resulting in stall-free pipeline operation, with twice the throughput of the previous sequential structure and minimized active circuit area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic, security, military and environmental implications of molecular manufacturing are extreme. Unfortunately, conflicting definitions of nanotechnology and blurry distinctions between significantly different fields have complicated the effort to understand those differences and to develop sensible, effective policy for each. The risks of today's nanoscale technologies cannot be treated the same as the risks of longer-term molecular manufacturing. It is a mistake to put them together in one basket for policy consideration – each is important to address, but they offer different problems and will require far different solutions. As used today, the term nanotechnology usually refers to a broad collection of mostly disconnected fields. Essentially, anything sufficiently small and interesting can be called nanotechnology. Much of it is harmless. For the rest, much of the harm is of familiar and limited quality. Molecular manufacturing, by contrast, will bring unfamiliar risks and new classes of problems. The advanced environment friendly nanotechnologies elaborated by Israel Company Polymate Ltd. – International Research Center are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution a short introduction to nanostructured materials for advanced technological applications is presented. A major aim is to demonstrate, on the one hand, the diversity of approaches, methods, techniques and solutions, which are used currently worldwide – but also by the authors of the contributions collected in this book – in the field of nano-structured materials, but also that, on the other hand, these diverse topics are based on the same principles, face similar problems, and bear similar prospects for future applications. For this reason, frequent reference is made to the contributions to this book. Some examples to illustrate current topics, advances and problems are taken from the recent work of the present home institute of the author, the NanoBioTech group of the IHCP at the JRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing development in nanotechnology and bioinformatics will enable the construction of nanorobot which will work at nano-scale. Nanorobot development has many challenges and limitations such as its control and behaviour in different environments. In this proposed work we present DNA nanorobot design, methodology for detection of Helicobacterpylori (H. Pylori) infection and DNA nanorobot control techniques for its movement in dynamic environment are described using Fuzzy Logic (FL) rules. Propose model will detect the CagA protein in blood and subsequently indicates towards H. pylori infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this chapter, applications of analytical methods using SPM to improve the electrophotographic processes used in laser printers, copy machines and so on are described from an industrial viewpoint. Many components for the processes work in a well-controlled manner with macromolecules in high electric field under pressure at high temperature. The achievable print quality and reliability crucially depend on their properties on a microscale or nanoscale. It is noted that the cross-sectional phase imaging by AFM is very powerful to evaluate the compositions and interfacial structures of toner particles on the components as well as charging states and adhesive force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scanning probe microscope (SPM) techniques, invented 20 years ago, act as eyes for nanotechnology and nanoscience research and development, for imaging and characterizing surface topography and properties at atomic resolution. Particularly for the past decade, atomic force microscopy (AFM, one member of the SPM family) has evolved from laboratory research instrumentation to an industry metrology tool for geometric dimension control in nanoelectronic device manufacturing on production floors. This chapter gives an overview in great technical detail of state-of-the-art AFM applications in process characterization and inline monitoring for semiconductor manufacturing. Use of AFM equally applies for topography, dimension, and sidewall shape metrology in photomask and hard disk recording head processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]