Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Slapping on a coat of silence Company says its high-tech paint will block cell phone calls By Jon Van Tribune staff reporter March 1, 2006, 1:05 AM EST The intrusion of cellular phone rings into theaters, schools and nearly every other nook and cranny of modern life may soon hit a wall. Playing to the backlash against ubiquitous communication, a company called NaturalNano is developing a special high-tech paint that relies on the wizardry of nanotechnology to create a system that locks out unwanted cell phone signals on demand. The paint represents a dream to those who seek a distraction-free movie or concert experience, and a nightmare to those who compulsively monitor their BlackBerry phones. It is also another breakthrough application of nanotechnology, the emerging science of harnessing sub-microscopic organisms for everyday uses, like stain-resistant pants and transparent sunblock. The National Science Foundation has predicted that nanotechnology eventually will be a trillion-dollar industry. His firm has found a way to use nanotechnology to blend particles of copper into paint that can be brushed onto walls and effectively deflect radio signals. The copper is inserted into nanotubes, which are ultra-tiny tubes that occur naturally in halloysite clay mined in Utah. The nanotubes are about 20,000 times thinner than a piece of paper, too small to be seen with even a conventional microscope. At this size, which is near the molecular scale, materials have different physical properties than they normally do. By filling these tubes with nano-particles of copper, the company can create a medium to suspend the signal-blocking metal throughout a can of paint without significantly changing the way the paint adheres to a surface. NaturalNano will combine this signal-blocking paint scheme with a radio-filtering device that collects phone signals from outside a shielded space, allowing certain transmissions to proceed while blocking others. Farren said that any scheme to selectively block calls is illegal. But Crowley of AMBIT Corp., which designed the radio filtering device for NaturalNano, said the system is legal. The nanotech- augmented paint that blocks signals is a passive device, not an illegal radio jammer, he said. The radio filter would allow all emergency radio communications to pass through the shield, Crowley said. With all other signals, like cell phones, the filter would act like a spigot to block or allow them to pass through—say, only during intermission. " There'd be no limitation of public service radio access, " he said. Bill , director of instructional support services for Sioux Falls, S.D., schools said his district is interested in NaturalNano's signal-blocking paint because administrators are worried about what would happen in the event of an emergency in a school. Even though they're illegal, jamming devices that emit radio signals to prevent cell phones from working are widely available, said Tim Kridel, a wireless industry analyst. " You can find plenty of jammers on the Internet that are shipped from other countries, " said Kridel. " But using them risks getting into trouble with the Federal Communications Commission. " Farren, the wireless industry spokesman, said that jamming doesn't seem to be a major problem. " But it's hard to detect, " he said. " Nothing shows up on your phone that says 'Your signal's being jammed.' " Based on phone inquiries and Web site visits, AMBIT's Crowley said many people apparently want a legal way to control wireless bad behavior. jvan@... Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Sounds very intersting. I am not surprized. I am not familiar with physics but this may have promise. I need a demo. Angie swill_swell wrote: Slapping on a coat of silence Company says its high-tech paint will block cell phone calls By Jon Van Tribune staff reporter March 1, 2006, 1:05 AM EST The intrusion of cellular phone rings into theaters, schools and nearly every other nook and cranny of modern life may soon hit a wall. Playing to the backlash against ubiquitous communication, a company called NaturalNano is developing a special high-tech paint that relies on the wizardry of nanotechnology to create a system that locks out unwanted cell phone signals on demand. The paint represents a dream to those who seek a distraction-free movie or concert experience, and a nightmare to those who compulsively monitor their BlackBerry phones. It is also another breakthrough application of nanotechnology, the emerging science of harnessing sub-microscopic organisms for everyday uses, like stain-resistant pants and transparent sunblock. The National Science Foundation has predicted that nanotechnology eventually will be a trillion-dollar industry. His firm has found a way to use nanotechnology to blend particles of copper into paint that can be brushed onto walls and effectively deflect radio signals. The copper is inserted into nanotubes, which are ultra-tiny tubes that occur naturally in halloysite clay mined in Utah. The nanotubes are about 20,000 times thinner than a piece of paper, too small to be seen with even a conventional microscope. At this size, which is near the molecular scale, materials have different physical properties than they normally do. By filling these tubes with nano-particles of copper, the company can create a medium to suspend the signal-blocking metal throughout a can of paint without significantly changing the way the paint adheres to a surface. NaturalNano will combine this signal-blocking paint scheme with a radio-filtering device that collects phone signals from outside a shielded space, allowing certain transmissions to proceed while blocking others. Farren said that any scheme to selectively block calls is illegal. But Crowley of AMBIT Corp., which designed the radio filtering device for NaturalNano, said the system is legal. The nanotech- augmented paint that blocks signals is a passive device, not an illegal radio jammer, he said. The radio filter would allow all emergency radio communications to pass through the shield, Crowley said. With all other signals, like cell phones, the filter would act like a spigot to block or allow them to pass through—say, only during intermission. " There'd be no limitation of public service radio access, " he said. Bill , director of instructional support services for Sioux Falls, S.D., schools said his district is interested in NaturalNano's signal-blocking paint because administrators are worried about what would happen in the event of an emergency in a school. Even though they're illegal, jamming devices that emit radio signals to prevent cell phones from working are widely available, said Tim Kridel, a wireless industry analyst. " You can find plenty of jammers on the Internet that are shipped from other countries, " said Kridel. " But using them risks getting into trouble with the Federal Communications Commission. " Farren, the wireless industry spokesman, said that jamming doesn't seem to be a major problem. " But it's hard to detect, " he said. " Nothing shows up on your phone that says 'Your signal's being jammed.' " Based on phone inquiries and Web site visits, AMBIT's Crowley said many people apparently want a legal way to control wireless bad behavior. jvan@... Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.