Nanoco Group PLC

Innovation All Around at Gigaom Change 2016

Published on 25/10/2016

I had the recent opportunity to participate in the Gigaom Change conference in Austin, Texas. This incredible event brings together equally incredible minds working on solutions in robotics, 3D printing, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and a host of other areas of technology innovation, including nanotechnology — a field in which Nanoco is at the forefront. The conversations about where technology is taking us and how the world is being transformed made for an inspiring few days.

Seeing these various disciplines all converging, not only during Gigaom Change but in actual practical applications every day, is what keeps me excited about the discoveries we’re making with nanotechnology at Nanoco.

By now you’re familiar with the unprecedented color quality and energy efficiency that quantum dots bring to displays. Nanoco heavy-metal free CFQD® Quantum Dots add safety and environmental responsibility to that list of attributes. With these advancements in cadmium-free quantum dot technology, a number of additional application areas are made possible. Lighting is one of these. CFQD-enabled LEDs revolutionize the lighting industry by offering a unique, sustainable solution for delivering near-perfect color performance in industries including retail and architecture while taking the guesswork out of agricultural growing with our Deep Red CFQD® Quantum Dot component for grow lights.  I was thrilled to outline the strides Nanoco has made in these well-established applications for quantum dots with Gigaom Change attendees, but also share what’s on the horizon for Nanoco and nanotechnology.

We’re seeing some tremendous promise in applying nanotechnology to solar, making this renewable energy source both more efficient and affordable. And just a few years down the road, I envision a range of bio-imaging and other medical and life science applications becoming actualities thanks to nanotechnology. These breakthroughs will be made possible by non-toxic, cadmium-free quantum dots. We’ll be able to very accurately image and diagnose cancer at an early stage, tagging specific antibodies onto these quantum dots, and manipulating the size so they can get through the cell walls and bind specifically to cancerous cells. Amazing, right?

How do we get from here to there? In the world of nanotechnology, we understand that small things can lead to HUGE changes (pun intended), and those changes don’t happen in a vacuum. It takes multi-discipline collaboration and time to solve these problems. And events like Gigaom Change are a perfect catalyst for turning those ideas into actions.

Gigaom Change made it clear that Nanoco, a company built on innovation, is well positioned to help lead the world through technology advancements that improve consumer electronics, medicine, solar energy, and more. As Nanoco continues to execute in the near term and drive innovation in the long term, our future will be exciting and bright.

Author: Michael Edelman – CEO