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Our Guest Blogger, Andrew Domino, is a freelance writer from Kalamazoo, Michigan. His web site is dominowriting.com. He wanted to share interesting news about innovation in China with the readers of InventorSpot.com. Here's his article:

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China may be taking the lead in nanotechnology, but not without spending millions. That's the word from the Advancing Science Serving Society at its annual meeting in February. China designated nanotechnology as one of its "science megaprojects" for the next two decades (other big projects include weather monitoring from space, a research station devoted to agricultural safety - both due this year - and remote sensing of aircraft, set for 2010).

Researchers say there isn't much money going to nanotechnology in China: only $400 million over five years (2002 to 2007). They do expect that amount to increase soon. The Chinese government has announced a plan to bring the country's technology on par with the U.S. by 2020. China is even working with the U.S. already with at least one team-up in California.

Typical Chinese Parking LotThe world will see China's nanotechnology this summer, at the Summer Olympics in Beijing. One of the researchers at the AAAS meeting said the parking lots at the Olympic village (where the athletes stay) will have a nanopolymer coating to absorb exhaust. There aren't many details, and China isn't saying much about a system for parking lots.

But something like it might exist in Virginia, where cement covered with a chemical (titanium dioxide) absorbs UV light and uses it to destroy pollutants. The chemical is also used in sun block, so in other words... China may be using a special sun tan treatment to get rid of car exhaust during the Olympics.

Source: Wired

Andrew Domino
Guest Blogger
InventorSpot.com