A ''nanofoundry'' is considered to be a

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

that performs on a scale similar to

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

. This concept makes it similar to the role that the nanofactory would play because it is considered to be a

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

that operates on that same scale model. The closest thing that nature has to a nanofoundry is the simple

biological cell The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all forms of life. Every cell consists of cytoplasm enclosed within a membrane; many cells contain organelles, each with a specific function. The term comes from the Latin word meaning ...

.''Bioconvergence - Progenitor of the Nanotechnology Age''
at Historian of the Future

Summary

General information

In silico In biology and other experimental sciences, an ''in silico'' experiment is one performed on a computer or via computer simulation software. The phrase is pseudo-Latin for 'in silicon' (correct ), referring to silicon in computer chips. It was c ...

'' biology attempts to duplicate nature by creating a virtual cell with the complete cycle of metabolism. The idea of creating an artificial cell along with working nanofoundries is highlighted in the phenomena of bioconvergence; which may advance us from the

Information Age The Information Age is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during the Industrial Revolution, to an economy centered on information technology ...

to the "Nanotechnology Age." Nanofoundries and artificial cells are creating a world where

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

, the very definition of "medicine", along with

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

itself is entering a state of transition. This phenomenon is directly in parallel with changes in the procedures used in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, managing our bioresources, ultimately leading up to the ''de facto'' equivalent of

bio-engineering Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number ...

entire ecosystems from scratch. the latest area of research involved using both micro- and nano-focused

ion beam An ion beam is a beam of ions, a type of charged particle beam. Ion beams have many uses in electronics manufacturing (principally ion implantation) and other industries. There are many ion beam sources, some derived from the mercury vapor ...

s is found using nanomachining.''Nanofoundry''
at University of Surrey (United Kingdom) Preliminary studies have indicated that tissues can be successfully grown on three-dimensional structures while using ion beams on a substrate. On a larger scale, materials that appear to be smooth still have an abrasive appearance to them.
at Physorg.com Using the nanoscale, however,

atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...

s rub off one a time. This creates new challenges for

researcher Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

s who build their devices that are only 10 atoms wide.

Current progress

One of the first nanofoundries has been set up at the

University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

.''DRDO to set up nano foundry in Madras varsity''
at India Times Knowledge about nanotechnology would be converted into useful

consumer good A final good or consumer good is a final product ready for sale that is used by the consumer to satisfy current wants or needs, unlike an intermediate good, which is used to produce other goods. A microwave oven or a bicycle is a final good. Whe ...

s through the usage of nanofoundries. Scientists do not want nanotechnology to be confined to publishing research papers in journals when it could be useful for creating nanotechnology-enhanced consumer products that would be beneficial in our 21st century society. By converting the nanotechnology curriculum of the major universities into a more industry-oriented format, it makes the technology more practical for employers as well as consumers. The ability to grow more complex structures with a high ratio allows for

drug A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...

release devices,

biosensor A biosensor is an analytical device, used for the detection of a chemical substance, that combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector. The ''sensitive biological element'', e.g. tissue, microorganisms, organelles, cell rece ...

s, nanoreactors, and other countless discoveries. During the following decades to come, researchers will scramble to construct the world's first nuclear nanobeam complex. This facility would offer state-of-the-art facilities to a wide range of disciplines; including the conventional sciences. Commercial manufacturing could easily be scaled up thanks to nanofoundries. Nanofactories will most likely use metal nanoparticles instead of glass, plastic or rare earth minerals that are currently used to make most of our products.Six USC Research Teams Complete Startup Boot Camp and Receive Nearly $500K to Commercialize Technologies
at Michigan Live

References

{{Levels of technological manipulation of matter Manufacturing plants Nanotechnology