SeeingNano

About the project

The SeeingNano project ran from 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2016.

The objective of SeeingNano was to create novel visualisation tools for enhanced nanotechnology awareness. Social scientists, nano scientists and visualisation experts collaborated to develop tools allowing different target audiences to “see at the nano scale” thus engaging with the breadth of nanotechnologies and the uncertainties and potential risks connected to them. A public repository of tools and best practices is now available on the project's website and in our resources section

Scope

The SeeingNano Project created Novel Visualisation Tools for Enhanced Nanotechnology Awareness to provide the public with an ability to ‘see at the nanoscale’, and an understanding and awareness for the breadth of nanotechnologies, and the uncertainties and potential risks connected to them.

SeeingNano followed a coordinated collaborative approach conducted by leading experts in the relevant fields: target audiences were scrutinised by the consortium’s socio-economic sciences and humanities experts, who – in collaboration with the state-of-the-art information and visualisation partners – elaborated and agreed on the most appropriate toolset. The scientific and technical content has been provided by experts from the nanotechnology research community in collaboration with experts from risk-communication and nanotoxicology.

The project partners developed a set of novel visualization tools:

A mobile Application: The SeeingNano mobile application is currently available in the Apple and Google Play stores. This tool allows you to explore everyday products at the nanoscale using augmented reality. Users are able to slowly zoom in on an item, such as a LCD screen, until they reach the nanoscale and can see how applied nanomaterials are being used. 

Short Movie: When teaching about nanotechnology, the first two questions many have is: What are nanotechnologies? Where are they used? Our animated video answers these by taking you on a whirlwind trip through the basics of nanotechnology. It translates complex concepts such as surfaces and surface phenomena, emergent and divergent phenomena, and selforganisation processes into understandable ideas through helpful animations. It then shows how these principles are used in a variety of everyday products.

Group Activities: 3 groups activities were developed: a nanoprofiler, an origami and a memory game. The Nano-profiler asks you a series of questions to help you realise your feelings on nano. The Nano-origami is a hands -on tool that will allow you to ‘build’ your own nanomaterials to better understand their structures. And finally the memory gameuses flash cards to help build awareness and associations between everyday products and the nanomaterials that are enhancing them. 

The project was coordinated by the Nanotechnology Industry Association (NIA) Ecsite’s main task will be to manage the piloting, validating and launching of visualisation tools, carried out by five Ecsite members.  

The project  received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Grant agreement NO. 646141