Nanowires sniper detectors

Danger Room:

Today, U.S. forces are using acoustic detectors, laser spot­ters and infrared sensors to spot snipers. Tomorrow, the troops could rely on hollow tubes of zinc oxide, "about one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair," Defense News reports.

These zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires, invented in 2001, are "extremely sensitive to the ultraviolet light in the muzzle flash of a firearm."

When struck by ultraviolet photons, the nanowires convert energy from the photons into tiny electrical signals... A computer processes the signals to tell soldiers where the sniper is.

Sensors that use ZnO nano-wires may be thousands of times more sensitive than infrared sensors, said Zhong Wang, a leading nanotechnology researcher and professor at Georgia Tech's Center for Nanostructure Characterization.

Darpa has given Georgia Tech and Magnolia Optical Technologies $1.25 million to develop the sensors. They hope to have a prototype ready for the Army in a year.

...

Apparently the potential for the nanowire goes well beyond sniper detection. They can also be used for solar cells to convert light into electricity. Some have even suggested that the material be woven into the fabric of the troops clothes allowing them to generate electricity to run their gadgets and keep their batteries topped off. I wonder if they could get enough to run air conditioning for places like Iraq?

Update: The Washington Post reports that preliminary test suggest the microscopic nanotube could cause a cancer similar to asbestos. You might want to hold off on wearing it for awhile.