Nanotechnology? Never heard of it......

You talk to most people in the chemicals/materials industry and they'll tell you that nanotechnology, in the most basic sense of the word-tiny particles with dimensions no more than a nanometer-has been around for decades. The technology has been anointed as a trillion dollar market opportunity (also debunked) and now after numerous press articles, government involvement and even a few recalls of nanotech products, you'd assume that the word is out. Well, according to a recent survey of 1,003 adults, that's not the case. Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. conducted the survey on behalf of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN; Washington), a partnership between the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Washington) and the Pew Charitable Trusts (Philadelphia).

The survey finds that less than 24% of adults have heard anything about nanotechnology, and 49% say they've heard nothing about it. Men show the greatest awareness with 33% having "heard a lot or some," and among adults with higher incomes 32% have "heard a lot or some."

Okay, so who cares?

What does this mean for nanotech, for how it's used and how and when it is implemented into everyday products? According to the survey, "there is a positive association between awareness of nanotechnology and the belief that the benefits of nanotechnology will outweigh the risks." Maybe the lack of awareness means that a consumer chooses the "normal" face cream instead of the one with nanometer-size additives that promises to make you look 10 years younger in a night. Or maybe, and more importantly, there's a ripple effect where this lack of awareness signals investors that after 6-7 years of commercialization activity, nanotech isn't worth investing in, which then causes small nanotech companies to exit the industry. Investment dollars and credit are hard to come by after all.

I don't know the answer to this but it is an interesting way to look at an emerging technology. The technology might be feasible, even commercially scalable, but if the consumer is afraid of it or doesn't get what it's all about, well then it doesn't matter how technically viable it is. Typically consumers are reassured by government approval that a new technology is safe to human and environmental health (i.e. the FDA does this for new drugs) and sometimes consumers are lured by the buzz factor. But, at present nanomaterials are not formally regulated by FDA or EPA, and the buzz factor relies on consumer awareness, which according to the survey is relatively low.

So, to me, this survey is just another signal that for nanotechnology to become a mainstream technology, consumers need to be reassured that the "pudding in the cake" is worth the extra calories.