Nano Mascot

Since objects of the nano-realm are too small to view, researchers in the field of nanotechnology don't need their vision. Now educators are working to encourage people with visual impairments to pursue careers in nanotechnology. They have crafted accurate, detailed and touch-friendly models of nanoscale objects such as carbon nanofibers, which allow students to "see" those objects for the first time.

Unlike abstract models of chemical structures typically used as learning props for students, the new method produces concrete, three-dimensional replicas of tiny objects.

To make the textbook-size models, educators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison first converted two-dimensional information from a scanning electron microscope image into three dimensions. Then, they used the data to "print" the 3-D object in a process called rapid prototyping printer. One creation (shown above) is an enlarged, 3-D model of "NanoBucky," a nanoscale replica of the university's mascot, Bucky Badger, made from carbon nanofibers.

The creators hope to apply this process to data from other instruments, including the patterns of atoms shown by atomic force microscopes.

--LiveScience Staff

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Credit: Aaron Mayes