Week 8 - Nanotechnology
Knowing the latest, greatest, and upcoming technology products is what I do for a living. Lately I have been fascinated in a new smartphone hitting the markets carried by LG called the LG G Flex. It is a self-repairing phone with a unique curved shape. Now, I am not saying you can take a hammer to the screen and expect the phone to repair itself. This phone is designed to self-heal from minor wear, tear, and blemishes. The curved shape makes it flexible and able to absorb shock and impact. From what I have seen, it is a sleek and very pleasing to the eye. However, I agree with Davidson in that, "This step into self-healing smartphones shouldn't come as a huge surprise. The technology has been popping up in scientific research for decades..."
It is easy to dissect and critique the outside aesthetics of this phone. It is not so easy to wrap your mind around the idea that
this phone is a piece of art because of the cutting edge science and
advancement in human technology it represents. This phone screams
nanotechnology, but sadly LG will not release the actual process that has made this possible except that it derives from "Paint finishes in the automotive industry" (CNET Editors' Take). This idea led me to relate back to Dr. James Gimzewski’s
lecture. He spoke of how using shading and color balancing has made it possible
for us to see a physical representation of an atom (Gimzewski).
After further research I have discovered that this type of
self-healing coating is “formed via a technique called supramolecular assembly”
(Mick). Dr. Gimzewski made clear how tiny an atom truly is in Lecture 1, and
supramolecular assembly deals with shrinking down to the molecular level and
understanding how each individual atom can link together and form a chain when
in the correct environment (Mick).
I am sure one day we will know the true science
that has been put into creating and designing the LG G Flex. It is clear however that the G Flex would not be the incredible tech device it is without implementation of nanotechnology. I agree with Dr. Gimzewski that it is technology like this that has the possibility to change social and economic values in the world. (Gimzewski).
that has been put into creating and designing the LG G Flex. It is clear however that the G Flex would not be the incredible tech device it is without implementation of nanotechnology. I agree with Dr. Gimzewski that it is technology like this that has the possibility to change social and economic values in the world. (Gimzewski).
References
Carbyne: Strongest
Material Ever Known. W3GK. 2013. Web. 20 Nov 2013.
CNET Editors’ Take. LG G Flex sports
contoured HD display and ‘self-healing’ rear finish (hands-on). CNET
Reviews. 19 Nov 2013. Web. 20 Nov
2013.
Davidson, Lauren. Here’s
how LG’s self-healing G Flex smartphone could work”. Quartz. 29 Oct 2013.
Web. 20 Nov 2013.
Gimzewski, James. Nanotech
for Artists Part 1 – Dr. Gimzewski. 1. 2013. Online video clip. YouTube. 20 Nov 2013.
Gimzewski, James. Nanotech
for Artists Part 2 – Dr. Gimzewski. 2013. Online video clip. YouTube. 20 Nov 2013.
Marques Brownie. LG G
Flex Self Healing Demo! YouTube. 18 Nov 2013. Online video clip. YouTube. 20 Nov 2013.
Mick, Jason. New
Polymeric Car Paint can Self-Heal Major Scratches, Dings. Daily Tech. 22
April 2011. Web. 20 Nov 2013.
Nelson, Robert. LG G
Flex FCC filing tips AT&T and T-Mobile availability. Android Community.
17 Nov 2013. Web. 20 Nov 2013.
