Week 8 | Nanotechnology + Art |

I was surprised after this week’s readings that nano means “dwarf” and deals with microscopic objects and organisms. I was confused as to what exactly the relationship between art and nanotechnology, but then I discovered nanotechnology is primarily based on touch and feel because the objects are microscopic.One of the most interesting pieces of this week’s material was the gecko feet. Scientists took a closer look at the feet of gecko because they have very fine nanostructures that grants geckos the ability to stick to walls.

The lotus leaf was also very interesting to me. Water droplets stay in tact on top of the leaves because of the fine nanostructure of the leaf. The leaf appears to have microscopic prawns that stick out and reject the water droplets. We are able to study the nanostructure of these objects because of microscopic tunneling. Microscopic tunneling is an “instrument for imaging surfaces at the atomic level.” (Wikipedia)

The one main idea that will stick with me after this weeks lecture is how nanotechology is extremely advanced because of artistic developments. In return, nanotechology plays a role in the development of art because artists are able to get a better understanding of the genetic makeup of organisms.







Works Cited:

-"Asian flowers lotus in pink." Asian flowers lotus in pink.jpg Hi-Res 720p HD. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2017.

- Nanotech Jim pt3. Dir. James Gimzewski. Perf. Dr. James Gimzewski. Youtube.com. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 25 May 2017. <https://youtu.be/X0HCNiU_108>.

- Nanotech Jim pt4. Dir. James Gimzewski. Perf. Dr. James Gimzewski. Youtube.com. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 25 May 2017. <https://youtu.be/yHCuZetAIhk>.

-"Scanning Tunneling Microscope." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 May 2017

     Web. 27 May 2017.

-"The Scanning Tunneling Microscope." Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB , n.d. Web. 20 May 2017. <http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/physics/microscopes/scanning/>.