Kevin Samson
Activist Post
February 4, 2011 brought the release of the National Nanotechnology Initiative 2011 Strategic Plan. This document offers a framework of investment "to understand and control matter" in the areas of environment, health and safety. 25 Federal agencies are participating. As a consequence we are beginning to see nano sensors for use in agriculture that can measure crops and environmental conditions. And we now have bomb-sniffing plants using rewired DNA to detect explosives and biological agents. So, we technically already have bionic plants, but what you'll read below offers additional details about where the top researchers in the field are focusing their attention. It is clear that there is a merger between the environment and security which portends an interesting range of applications.
Following is a press release from researchers primarily funded by the Department of Energy. It is an interesting study in the nature of dual-use technology. But first a bit of background.
Nanotech has been receiving official funding for more than 10 years when it first was raised to the status of a federal initiative in 2001. By 2003, the newly opened Department of Homeland Security showed immediate interest in SensorNet, a program spearheaded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and their strategic partners to research ways to fully integrate nano and micro sensors into one overall Internet-like matrix of real-time detection and surveillance. By 2006, Oak Ridge announced that they planned to turn Fort Bragg military base into a prototype for America's future cities. According to Department of Energy researcher, Bryan Gorman, "Any sensor can talk to any application. Just like with the Internet or with telephone systems..."
Nanotech has been receiving official funding for more than 10 years when it first was raised to the status of a federal initiative in 2001. By 2003, the newly opened Department of Homeland Security showed immediate interest in SensorNet, a program spearheaded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and their strategic partners to research ways to fully integrate nano and micro sensors into one overall Internet-like matrix of real-time detection and surveillance. By 2006, Oak Ridge announced that they planned to turn Fort Bragg military base into a prototype for America's future cities. According to Department of Energy researcher, Bryan Gorman, "Any sensor can talk to any application. Just like with the Internet or with telephone systems..."
February 4, 2011 brought the release of the National Nanotechnology Initiative 2011 Strategic Plan. This document offers a framework of investment "to understand and control matter" in the areas of environment, health and safety. 25 Federal agencies are participating. As a consequence we are beginning to see nano sensors for use in agriculture that can measure crops and environmental conditions. And we now have bomb-sniffing plants using rewired DNA to detect explosives and biological agents. So, we technically already have bionic plants, but what you'll read below offers additional details about where the top researchers in the field are focusing their attention. It is clear that there is a merger between the environment and security which portends an interesting range of applications.
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