Dave Blank (chair NanoNextNL) in RTL Toekomstmakers: ‘If the Netherlands stays at the top in nanotechnology it will be in a position to jointly determine the acceptable risks of nanotechnology’.
Nanotechnology is one of the most promising technologies. A recent episode of the Dutch TV programme Toekomstmakers highlights the role played by nanotechnology in our everyday lives. But also what nanotech offers us in the future. A lot is already possible with nanotechnology: suntan lotion that you only need to apply a thin layer of and clothing that is water resistant. And we would not have mobile phones either without the very small chips that these use.
De belofte van nanotechnologie (Nanotechnoly’s promise, Dutch video)
The Netherlands occupies a top position in nanotech
By adapting atoms and molecules at the smallest level, we can manipulate materials. An example is producing materials that convert heat and movement into energy. Toekomstmakers interviews ‘mister Nano’ Dave Blank. The chair of NanoNextNL says that the Netherlands occupies a top position in the world of nanotechnology but that it can do even better still. If the Netherlands stays at the top then it can continue to lead the way and it will be in a position to jointly determine what the acceptable risks of nanotechnology are, for example.
Healthcare applications of nanotech
In this episode of Toekomstmakers, Philips explains how nanotechnology can be used in healthcare. For example, to do a blood test that reveals immediately if somebody has experienced a heart infarct. And when it comes to health we can do even more still, such as simulated ‘organs on a chip’. These contain all of the substances that real organs contain and can be used to test medicines.
