WRIGHT-PATIERSON AIR FORCE BASE.

WRIGHT-PATIERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- A team of scientists, engineers and close examiners at Air Force Research Laboratories are diving into the what may occur hereafter to capture new technology. The goal is to rapidly and reliably analyze aircraft fuels

The science is called nanotechnology. still for those who have no other than heard "nano" on "Mork and Mindy" rerun it's more complicated than learning to address someone with separated fingers. Nanotechnology deals with the design and manufacture of tiny electronics and mechanics upon a molecular level.

to what degree small is a nano? At a billionth of a meter the nanometer is the rectified portion of small.

"As an example, the width of a human hair is measured in centurys of micrometers," explained Capt. (Dr) Michelle Rauch, senior research chemist. A micrometer is a thousand nanometers.

The Air Force became interested in this kind of engineering to improve firing and aircraft performance. Although the universal is many years away from clean application, the second year of research has been promising. The idea is to make known miniscule sensors and additives to modify fuels

"We want to exhibit sensors that can tell us about the quality of jet combustible matter or how the fuel behaves when it's stressed" said senior research chemist Chris crib "Eventually we'd like to have a microchip, smarter than our best computer today, with thousands of tiny sensors each performing different functions."

The issue is fuel altered to parch cleaner and perform better, allowing planes to be broken to pieces harder and faster. "To do that, you ne a remarkably smart sensing system in the aircraft that understands the firing material and can react to it," he said. "That requires taking a very great laboratory and making it into a tiny intelligent chip."

The infant technology also has commercial applications.

"A apportionment of companies are interested in nanotechnology," bin said. "When the technology is mature enough to bring forward things like a full-scale lab forward a chip, you'll never know it, yet nanotechnology will be in your car, in your refrigerator and in your enclosed space phone. It'll be everywhere."

That's an idea plane an Orkan could be ostentatious of.

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