(((And while you're boggled by the host of cogent links here, don't forget that guzzling Ukranian Nano-Cola can cure both AIDS and Alzheimers'.)))
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/19983/?nlid=782
Link: Technology Review: The Year in Nanotech.
Making Objects Invisible (((huh?)))
Theorists have predicted a new class of materials that could render objects invisible. The materials work because they interact with light in unusual ways. Now a number of researchers are beginning to put those theories into practice, making rudimentary invisibility cloaks by controlling the micro- and nanostructure of materials. In addition to making things disappear, such materials could be useful for patterning tiny features for computer chips or for novel antennae for communications. (See "Invisible Revolution," "Superlenses and Smaller Computer Chips," "How to Make an Object Invisible," and "Invisibility Made Easier.")
(((How about making *my sunglasses* invisible? That oughta rock, oughtn't it?)))
Materials That Stick to Nothing–or Anything (((Uh-oh)))
"Teflon pans are easy to clean. But a new super self-cleaning material actually causes oil to bounce off. (See "No More Thumbprints.") Another material–this one transparent–could be used to keep windows fog and oil free. (See "Self-Cleaning, Fog-Free Windows.")
(((And could my frying pan also be *invisible*? I could watch the bacon cook directly on top of the flames!)))
"Other researchers are developing supersticky materials. They have made structures out of carbon nanotubes that are like the structures on geckos' feet that allow the lizards to climb walls. They've also made glues similar to the proteins that allow mussels to stick to nearly anything, even underwater. (See "Climbing Walls with Nanotubes," "Nanoglue Sticks Underwater," and "Glue That Sticks to Nearly Everything.")
(((Can I have INVISIBLE gecko stuff permanently stuck to me?
Like an invisible bulletproof vest, maybe. I'd be just like Batman, only more so!)))"Flexible Electronics Coming to Market (((INVISIBLE,
PERMANENTLY STICKY flexible electronics)))"Electronics patterned on flexible substrates that could be used for roll-up displays have previously been demonstrated in the lab. Now products are on the way. In February we described the plans of two companies to manufacture flexible electronics. (See "Plastic Electronics Head for Market.") (((C'n I have a "plastic electronic head"?Really?))) One of the companies has now actually started production on a flexible-display device.
Meanwhile, researchers are developing methods for making flexible electronics with higher performance. (See "Printing Cheap Chips" and "Expandable Silicon.")
"Tiny Memory (((Maybe I can just DRINK the memory and replace my tired, Alzheimer-riddled human memory)))
"Novel approaches to storing data could lead to memory chips as much as a hundred times more compact than today's devices. These include materials that change structure (see "Novel Nanowires for Faster Memory") and ones that grow atoms-thick wires (see "Terabyte Storage for Cell Phones") in response to tiny electronic signals....
