After seeing Ford
A little more than a year ago, I wrote that Ford, in partnership with Boeing
This is no ordinary piece of equipment. It is an advanced microscope manufactured by Imago Scientific Instruments, and it has been reported to analyze the precise atomic composition of materials at rates 720 times faster than traditional scanning electron microscopes and transmission electron microscopes. That feature has undoubtedly captured the attention of companies such as Veeco
All of this is important because the LEAP, one of which Seagate
Of course, new nanomaterials are not enough to stop the hemorrhaging at Ford or to help it compete more effectively in the short run with Toyota
For instance, Ford is exploring how nanocatalysts might improve fuel mileage and cut down on emissions. It is also exploring how nanofluids can be employed to make vehicle liquids, such as coolants and engine oil, operate more efficiently by reducing friction and increasing thermal conductivity -- properties that could allow the car's engine to perform effectively at lower temperatures. And, in the longer term, it hopes to incorporate nanosensors directly into the body of the car, to provide drivers with an extra layer of security by helping them better monitor the external environment.
To be sure, all of these advances are small steps -- or, in this recent case, a small LEAP -- but the long journey back to profitability has to begin with a single step.
Interested in other automotive-related Foolishness?
- Toyota's Winning Race to the Bottom
- DaimlerChrysler Is Thinking Out of the Boxfish
- Toyota Jumps the Competition
Fool contributor Jack Uldrich does not own stock in any of the companies mentioned in this article. The Fool has a strict disclosure policy.