There is a silent but steady revolution taking place in laboratories across the world to change the way we do everything. If you have guessed Nanotechnology then you are right. This technology has the potential to change everything we do. So first take a look at what is Nanotechnology.
As early as 1959 the idea of Nanotechnology took roots in the mind of physicists like Richard Feynman. To quote his famous words. " I want to build a billion tiny factories, models of each other, which are manufacturing simultaneously. . . The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom. It is not an attempt to violate any laws; it is something, in principle, that can be done; but in practice, it has not been done because we are too big."
It was in 1974 that Norio Taniguchi an acclaimed scientist who taught in Tokyo Science University coined the word "nanotechnology".
Nanotechnology in the original sense of the term means basically to build things from the bottom up with a precision that of an atom. A basic definition of Nanotechnology would mean the engineering of functional systems at a molecular and supramolecular scale, with dimensions ranging in between 1-100 nanometer.
Current Developments in Nanotechnology
The power of Nanotechnology has been well understood and it is seeing continuous growth and investment. According to industry estimates governments, corporations and venture capitalists had made an investment of around $9.6 billion on nanotech R&D in the year 2005. In 2006, global spending on nanotechnology grew by around 29%. USA is the largest contributor of funds invested for research in nanotechnology followed by Japan and other European nations. The global forecast for nanotech facilitated products is something like this.
Why Nanotechnology
A Nanotechnology enabled product offers the following possibilities.
Miniaturization: Meaning less space, less material, less energy and faster execution.
Low manufacturing Cost: As the products made of nanotechnology will be manufactured almost billions at a time, the product becomes affordable as well as effective at the same time. The problem regarding storage and transportation will also be completely eliminated.
Efficient length scale for manufacturing: Requires lesser energy as compared to subatomic or macroscopic particles.
Enhanced surface effects: This translates to increased surface to volume ratio.
Nanotechnology Applications
In Biology: Nanotechnology provides the necessary tools and the right platforms in technology for the examination and transformation of biological systems. Nanobiotechnology is a field which applies the principles and techniques associated with nanoscale to create an understanding and act as a transformation tool for biosystems (living or non-living). In the coming decade or so the process to integrate nanotechnology with biotechnology would speed up.
In Chemistry: Chemistry essentially deals with the study of matter and the changes that it undergoes. Nanotechnology has extensive uses in chemistry. This is due to the simple fact that the scale of molecules is really the domain of chemistry. This means all nanotechnology designs should be viable chemically.
In Physics: In a physics laboratory nanotechnology finds application in the applied physics, quantum physics and Optical Physics. Nanophysics deals with natural phenomena at nanometre scale. It involves studying solids, fluids and gaseous substances on a nano scale which corresponds to one billionth of a metre. Theoretical nanophysicists employ quantum theories to model electron transport via carbon nanotubes, nano threads and molecules.
Munich in April has a soothing climate but being located near the Alps there is always a tendency to rain often unexpectedly. It is always wise to carry an umbrella and a bit of winter clothing. Munich is the capital city of Bavaria. It is the largest federal state of Germany much acclaimed for its architecture and culture and now I am sure it would also be noted for Analytica.
Large Turnout
According to the organizers of the fair there were 1032 exhibiting companies from 34 countries. About 36 % of them was from outside Germany. The number of visitors swelled up to 32,500 from 111 countries. This is a rise of around 20% from the Analytica 2006 fair.
There was phenomenal rise in international visitors like me. Besides West Eurpean nations which are traditionally well represented, this time around there was active participation from Central and Eastern European countries like Romania, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation and Serbia. Companies from US, Australian, Asian and Gulf countries could also be seen.
Talking to the participants revealed that they are very satified with the proceedings of the fair as mostly they were able to meet their twin targets of new customer acquisition as well as introduction of new products.
Amazing Range on Display
The range of analytical and laboratory equipment on display left all the visitors simply spell bound. The Exhibitors showcased the latest range of innovative and applied product and system solutions for all types of laboratory. Be it in science, research or industry. It was nice to see the Exhibitors display the complete value-added chain for laboratory technology, biotechnology, life sciences in full breadth and depth. Laboratory liquid hadling products, Chromatography systems, Spectrometers along with thousands of other products were all displayed in full force.
Active Academic Participation
The exhibition was well supported by highly informative lectures organized by noted academic institutes like the Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM), the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the German Association for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL). These lectures covered the entire gamut of exhibition themes creating a bridge between science and industry. It was well received by both exhibitors and visitors.
New Concept
An unique addition to the Analytica 2008 which I found really amazing was the Innovations Area. It comprised more than 50 start-ups, universities, research institutes etc. This dedicated space sector gave start-ups and spin-offs a perfect launcing pad to present the business ideas along with an option to make new contacts. All in all, this years Analytica in Munich is a huge hit.
A Dobsonian Telescope is popularly called as Dobs. If you want to watch planets, stars, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies then Dobsonian is the telescope meant for you. Dobsonian Telescopes are essentially conventional Newtonian reflectors. They are mounted using an unique and simplified altitude/azimuth mounting system. The design of this simplified telescope is credited to John Dobson. He designed the telescope with the idea of creating a “truly” peoples telescope, that could be made using limited resource in the form of salvaged materials and unskilled labour.Moden Dobsonian Telescopes have excellent mounting systems, smooth motions and superb optics.
Types of Dobsonian Telescope
There are primarily two types of Dobsonian telescope. The first one is Dobsonians consisting of solid tubes. These are quite popular in apertures up to ten inches. Pristine. The second type has a truss tube design. This works well for apertures more than twelve inches where solid tube becomes rather unwieldy for handling. This type of Telescope also known as truss tube Dobsonian is assembled in the field before use. Mostly all the amateur telescopes with more than fourteen inches of aperture are truss tube Dobsonians.
Advantages of Dobsonian Telescope
Dobsonian Telescope offers some very good advantages to amateur astronomers. People in the age bracket of 10-80 years can easily manoeuver this type of telescope. A simple design of the mount structure holds the tube similar to a toy canon. This makes the tube swivel easily up and down, left and right. The simply constructed mount is generally made of wood and is very stable in design and easy to set up and use. Some of the latest features offered by Dobsonian telescopes include:
- Highly advanced red-dot finder
- Diffraction limited optics
- Built-in primary mirror cooling fan
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