Nanotechnology
dr_d
Join Date: 2003-03-28 Member: 14979Members
Join Date: 2003-03-28 Member: 14979Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Soon to be a reality?</div> Congress is planning on giving upwards of $1 billion dollars to the field of nanotechnolgy and corps like IBM and Intel are jumping on the project, with this sort of backing will it soon be a reality?
<a href='http://www.yahoo.com/s/116842' target='_blank'>Nanosludge Comming Soon?</a> news link
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If you think such issues are purely theoretical, think again, says Don Eigler, a top IBM nanotech researcher. Nanotech isn't decades away, he says; it's already here.
Simple nano devices are already used in some types of chip and data storage technology, Eigler notes.
More advances could be just around the corner. "In science, things just happen," he said. "You just can't predict when somebody is going to have a real breakthrough idea." <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Discuss.
<a href='http://www.yahoo.com/s/116842' target='_blank'>Nanosludge Comming Soon?</a> news link
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
If you think such issues are purely theoretical, think again, says Don Eigler, a top IBM nanotech researcher. Nanotech isn't decades away, he says; it's already here.
Simple nano devices are already used in some types of chip and data storage technology, Eigler notes.
More advances could be just around the corner. "In science, things just happen," he said. "You just can't predict when somebody is going to have a real breakthrough idea." <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Discuss.
Comments
Think of something even worse than 1984...
The first wave will probably be in the form of nano and micro fibers. And MEMS will keep getting smaller and smaller. Photonic or single electron computing (the latter probably having to be supercooled) will be the harbinger of minibots once the tech matures. Probably about two decades after it hits market.
Our progression might follow several waves of miniaturization. We make tiny machines that build smaller machines that in turn build even smaller ones.
If we were able to get the gloves taken off, I'd wager that we'd see an organic version of a microbot before an inorganic one.
The laws that have covered products and technology since the Industrial Revolution may not apply to nanotech.
Some of the legal questions include:
-Can you patent an atomic or molecular structure? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I call dibs on water!
As for nanotech, there are many advantages to it that I would hate to see goto waste. But hopefully morals and laws can keep up with advancements of techniques.
but as Kheras says Nanotech. isnt just small robots as so many think - its just technology in 'nano-size' this could be manipulating cells, atoms, or making really itty bitty robots(at some point).
as far as i know they're only able to move atoms around on the surface of an object - to show this they have written their name or logo in a piece of metal.
about robots or just computers, i think they mentionened using DNA strings to bind the various parts together correctly.
Nano fibres are different from Nanites.
An analogy would be useful.
Nano fibres are like lead pipes, whilst nanites are like lead pipes that have the ability to smack you in the face. One is dumb matter, the other works for a certain purpose.
Nanites do present some dangers, but also most definitely some benefits. Recycling technology would be perfect. Everything could be recycled, there would be no more dumping of rubbish, just throw it into the nanitic decomposer and even get money if there are valuable materials in what you threw out.
Mining will also be changed. Throw an ore, any ore, into the nanite goop and it will process and separate that ore into it's constituent metals.
Oil spill? Throw a bunch of nanites into it. By the end of the day, they should have that sucker cleaned up, and any birds cleaned of any toxic substances.
Cancer? Heres your nanite laden pill, take two per day for one week and come back in a week for a checkup.
Manufacturing? Dont get me started here. With raw materials becoming far easier to get, manufacturing will be cleaner, faster and more productive then ever before. Instead of paying hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars for a precision instrument like a computer, you would probably never have to pay more then 200 dollars for a great box.
The space industry will also become far more viable with nanos flying about. Precision instruments, equipment and materials on the go, when you need it. Costs for aerospace will probably plummet. Also, missions to mars will be far easier, since you can manufacture all you need so long as you have the raw materials to do so.
Food? Hell, we wont be eating "Real" food in the future. It will all be manufactured by nanites. Naturally, there will still be a niche market for organic crops, but a majority of the worlds population will eat nanite based food at some point.
Nanites would also make journeys to other star systems much easier. A major danger to spacecraft travelling between the gulfs of space is micro-meterites. A pin point the size of a grain of dust is enough to punch a hole in the hull of any spacecraft the size of your fist at an appreciable speed. Since the crew wont live long enough to last the journey, they need to be put into cryosleep or something simialar. The solution? Have nanites patch the holes in the ship constantly.
The one fear I've had about nanites though, if so much as one decides to go haywire and decides to pick apart the planet in a self replicating manner... The earth could be picked apart in 3 days (1 nanite, 2 nanites, 4 nanites, 8 nanites, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 5092, you get the picture). Also, someone else pointed out a totalitarian state, that could also come into being. Even so, I doubt even the most sadistic government would destroy it's entire population just to stay in power.
Nanites are just too good to pass up though, I'm interested into seeing how things pan out in the future...
The big problem with nanites is that materials we are commonly used to dealing with behave so much differently on a microscopic scale that they are almost new materials. Some lubricants, for instance, actually behave like grip tape on a nano scale. Temperature transfer characteristics, electrical characteristics, etc. are all potentially changed drastically. So it's really a new ball of wax, with the old one thrown out the window and run over by a truck.
Nano-assemblers could be neat, but remember that even though it doesn't seem so it does take a lot of force to get things to come apart. The nano would have to be anchored somehow, or used solely in an organic context using solvents and enzymes to chop stuff up. It would also have to be made out of a stronger material than the one you're working with.
That being said, we could use very small focused laser beams to perform a similar role. And that technology is semi-advanced at the moment. Folks have used focused lasers as tweezers to sort items in a tray (light items but hey for a first it's pretty impressive). Focusing two laser systems also have surgical applications. We could potentially cut someone up on the inside without disturbing their outsides. The radiation might kill 'em but this is for science! <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo-->
Just saw a prospectus on nanotubes at work and the ones we can manufacture now are very promising.
"Hello Mr. Yamaguchi!"
EDIT
100t 1000 posts.
... Looks at Dr. d.
... compares regnumbers....
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Thanks
Here's a semi-decent link on it.....
<a href='http://werry.customer.netspace.net.au/nanotechnology_L3.pdf' target='_blank'>http://werry.customer.netspace.net.au/nano...chnology_L3.pdf</a>
Nanotechnology will definately revolutionize society, similar to the way computers have. (Although computers are sort of nanotech anyway) Nanites, as previous posters have described them, are pure fiction. The idea makes for entertaining stories (Michael Crichton's book Prey, good book read it), but that's not the way nanotech works.
Molecular assemblers are definately feasible. The idea is essentially to create synthetic enzymes to catalyze the reactions necessary to build the nanofiber or nanomotor that you want. To some extent this is already being done with synthetic materials, especially polymers. (ie kevlar, polyester, polystyrene)
Its bad enough that my circuit didnt work because my circuit layouts were 3 freaking atoms off.
Nanotechnology makes wizard get a headache.
The first is you should be leery of things that say this is "doable in a matter of years!" or similar. Nanotechnology is still a long way off, partly because some of the things we want to use, like photosynthesis, we still don't understand fully as it is. The real thing though is this sort of thing is said now in order to get one thing: $$$$$$$
You don't make realistic predictions to a government to get money, you basically talk up your research a lot in order to get the money. Honestly, if they spoke of the many difficulties associated with getting many nanotech devices to even WORK, they wouldn't get half the money they are now being thrown at them.
A classic example of this sort of thing involves stem cell research. When this was first discovered there was a massive talking up (especially in the media) about what it could do. Fast forward to today and we still haven't done jack with it. The reasons for that are all the 'unexpected' [yeah right] problem that they ran into. Like the fact they didn't understand how developing cells actually determined their differentiation, and then decided how they turned into a kidney shape etc.
I'm taking this with a grain of salt for now. Some nanotech is definitely on the way however (like protein switches) but it has yet to be practically tested.
I hear they are already coming out with quantum cryptography. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
For those of you that understand quantum theory, the idea is that if a spy tries to read a message, the message is destroyed (from being observed). Not only this, but both the sender and receiver would know if a spy tried to read the message.
It isn't really feasible now, because there are some serious number-crunching codes now that would take years upon years to figure out. However, this quantum cryptography technology is being developed for the quantum computers being developed. In theory, a quantum computer could compute something in a matter of minutes that an ordinary computer would take years to do, so a new system of cryptography is being created to compensate.