Nanotechnology Engineering graduate (2013) Duncan Strathearn is helping to bring nanotechnology to the masses with an affordable and easy-to-use atomic force microscope (AFM) that can fit in the palm of your hand.
Because AFMs are normally very large, extremely expensive and complex, they are typically part of exclusive academic and industry laboratories, which limits access to these high resolution microscopes – and the wonders they reveal.
But that’s about to change. nGauge, an easy-to-use microscopic microscope that provides the same resolution specifications as a typical AFM for a fraction of the cost, provides nanotech access to a whole new audience of inquisitive minds – through high school science departments, university undergrad labs and industry-based research facilities.
Duncan is the director of product development for Integrated Circuit Scanning Probe Instruments (ICSPI). This company was founded in 2013 by Waterloo Professor Raafat Mansour and Dr. Neil Sarkar, who was pursuing his PhD at the University of Waterloo at the time.
When the AFM was invented in 1986, it enabled an entirely new wave of discovery and innovation. ICSPI’s recent introduction of nGauge marks the first evolution of this ground-breaking technology – its low price-point, ease of use and portable size will make nanotechnology accessible to an entirely new group of potential users, and their transformative innovations are sure to follow.
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