Nanotechnology and Mobile Devices

Nanotechnology is a field of science dealing with the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular levels, usually 100 nanometers or smaller, and the fabrication of materials and devices at that scale.

For many years technology companies have envisaged devices created using nanotechnology. Nokia believe that nanotechnology has the potential to radically change the way we view and use mobile devices within 7 years. They've recently launched a concept device to show us just what nanotechnology will do for our mobile experience.





In February 2008 they launched the Morph, a nanotechnology concept device developed by Nokia Research Center (NRC) and the University of Cambridge (UK).

Just about everyone has spilled something on their mobile at one time or another. Well, with the Morph that won't be a problem. The Morph will be superhydrophobic making it extremely dirt repellent. So that ketchup, or whatever it is you spill on your Morph, will just run right off.

Don't you just hate the way you have to keep charging your mobile. Well the Morph will solve that problem too. It will be able to charge itself from available light sources using photovoltaic nanowire grass covering it's surface. Nanowire grass will have far greater surface area than traditional materials, allowing our solar cells to become much smaller. And it's not just mobile devices that will benefit from this technology. Buildings could soon be generating their power from panels of nanowire grass.

Not sure about the food in that restaurant? What if your mobile had built in sensors that could detect specific chemical compounds in the air? You could simply wave it over the en tray and dine with an easy mind. It seems our mobiles will become ever more invaluable in the future.

Did you realize that nanoscale electronics become invisible to the human eye? This has the potential to deliver totally transparent devices. Imagine wafer thin screens. In fact, the electronics that run the entire T.V. could be built into the those wafer thin screens.

Nanoscale electronics also allow stretching. Nokia envisage that a nanoscale mesh of fibers, as strong as spider silk, will allow our mobile devices to be bent, stretched and folded into any number of conceivable shapes.

Here the Morph is viewed in a standard looking mobile configuration and in a "Wrist Mode". Perhaps you're not sure if that green will go with any of your outfits? Well not to worry. Just use the built in high definition camera and assign the pattern from your favorite dress as Morph's wallpaper.

Haptic technology will allow the Morph's surface to become context specific. Displaying real 3D buttons at one moment, while becoming flat as a pancake the next.

According to Nokia, connecting people will become a lot more interesting in the future.