Nano Paint blocks wireless signals

Here’s a product I want all the movie theatres of the world to pay attention to. A company from Rochester, N.Y. is developing some sort of high-tech paint that can effectively block out unwanted cell phone signals.

NaturalNano’s paint is based on nanotechnology, which is a quickly growing segment of science, working on using sub-microscopic organisms in stain-resistant pants and transparent sunblock. Particles of copper are inserted into “nanotubes”, which are then blended into the paint to deflect radio signals

Because it is based on nanotechnology, the cell phone blocking paint isn’t always in “on” mode, and can rather be “turned on” or “off” at will. NaturalNano president Michael Riedlinger offers an excellent example: “You could use this in a concert hall, allowing cell phones to work before the concert and during breaks, but shutting them down during the performance.” The company also says that it can filter out unwanted signals, while allowing certain transmissions to proceed as normal.

The Wireless Association opposes this technology citing instances, for example, where there is “the brain surgeon who needs notification of emergency surgery? These calls need to get through.” A scheme that selectively blocks calls may even be illegal.