NANOTECHNOLOGY

The Future is Coming Sooner Than You Think

1.

INTROD CTION !

Nanote"hno#og$, sometimes shortened to nanote"h, refers to a field of applied science whose theme is the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures 100 nanometers or smaller, and involves developing materials or devices within that size. Nanotechnology is an umbrella term that encompasses all fields of science that operate on the nanoscale. Nanotechnology is an extremely diverse and multidisciplinary field, ranging from novel extensions of conventional device physics, to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, to developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale, or the scale of nothing, even to speculation on whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale. Nanotechnology has the potential to create many new materials and devices with wideranging applications, such as in medicine, electronics, and energy production. n the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as with any introduction of new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics %.

HO& NE& IS NANOTECHNOLOGY'

Nanotechnology was first introduced in 1!"!, in a tal# by the Nobel $rize-winning physicist , entitled %&here's $lenty of (oom at the )ottom%. (ichard *eynman proposed using a set of conventional-sized robot arms to construct a replica of themselves, but one-tenth the original size, then using that new set of arms to manufacture an even smaller set, and so on, until the molecular scale is reached. +f we had many millions or billions of such molecular-scale arms, we could program them to wor# together to create macro-scale products built from individual molecules , a %bottom-up manufacturing% techni-ue, (ichard *eynman as opposed to the usual techni-ue of cutting away material until you have a completed component or product , %top-down manufacturing%. +n 1!./, 0. 1ric 2rexler wrote %1ngines of 3reation% and introduced the term nanotechnology. 4cientific research really expanded over the last decade. +nventors and corporations aren't far behind -- today, more than 15,000 patents registered with the 6.4. $atent ffice have the word %nano% in them. 0. 1ric 2rexler 1

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&HAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY'

A )asi" *e+inition!
Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. &his covers both current wor# and concepts that are more advanced. +n its original sense, 'nanotechnology' refers to the pro7ected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techni-ues and tools being developed today to ma#e complete, high performance products. &he 6.4. National Nanotechnology +nitiative defines nanotechnology as8 The science, engineering, and technology related to the understanding and control of matter at the length scale of approximately 1 to 100 nanometers.

Fun*amenta# "on"e,ts!
ne nanometer 9nm: is one billionth, or 10-! of a meter. *or comparison purposes, the width of an average hair is 100,000 nanometers. ;uman blood cells are <,000 to ",000 nm long, a strand of 2N= has a diameter of <." nm, and a line of ten hydrogen atoms is one nm.< &he last three statistics are especially enlightening. *irst, even within a blood cell there is a great deal of room at the nanoscale. Nanotechnology therefore holds out the promise of manipulating individual cell structure and function. 4econd, the ability tounderstand and manipulate matter at the level of one nanometer is closely related to the ability to understand and manipulate both matter and life at their most basic levels8 the atom and the organic molecules that ma#e up 2N=.

&wo main approaches are used in nanotechnology. +n the %bottom-up% approach, materials and devices are built from molecularcomponents which assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular recognition. +n the %top-down% approach, nano-ob7ects are constructed from larger entities without atomic-level control.

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HO& NANOTECHNOLOGY &OR-S'

&here's an unprecedented multidisciplinary convergence of scientists dedicated to the study of a world so small, we can't see it -- even with a light microscope. &hat world is the field of nanotechnology, the realm of atoms and nanostructures. Nanotechnology is so new? no one is really sure what will come of it. 1ven so, predictions range from the ability to reproduce things li#e diamonds and food to the world being devoured by self-replicating nanorobots.

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=s small as a nanometer is, it's still large compared to the atomic scale. =n atom has a diameter of about 0.1 nm. =n atom's nucleus is much smaller -- about 0.00001 nm. =toms are the building bloc#s for all matter in our universe. @ou and everything around you are made of atoms. Nature has perfected the science of manufacturing matter molecularly. *or instance, our bodies are assembled in a specific manner from millions of living cells. 3ells are nature's nanomachines. =t the atomic scale, elements are at their most basic level. n the nanoscale, we can potentially put these atoms together to ma#e almost anything. ".

.ROD CTS &ITH NANOTECHNOLOGY

@ou might be surprised to find out how many products on the mar#et are already benefiting from nanotechnology.

Suns"reen - Aany sunscreens contain nanoparticles of zinc oxide or titanium oxide. ldersunscreen formulas use larger particles, which is what gives most sunscreens their whitish color. 4maller particles are less visible, meaning that when you rub the sunscreen into your s#in, it doesn't give you a whitish tinge. Se#+/"#eaning g#ass - = company called $il#ington Ingre*ients #ike 0in" o1i*e "an #ea2e a 3hite sheen )ehin*. 4ut suns"reens 3ith offers a product they call =ctiv Glass, which uses 0in" o1i*e nano,arti"#es ru) on "#ear. nanoparticles to ma#e the glass ,hoto"ata#$ti" and h$*ro,hi#i". &he photocatalytic effect means that when 6B radiation from

light hits the glass, nanoparticles become energized and begin to brea# down and loosen organic molecules on the glass 9in other words, dirt:. ;ydrophilic means that when water ma#es contact with the glass, it spreads across the glass evenly, which helps wash the glass clean. C#othing - 4cientists are using nanoparticles to enhance your clothing. )y coating fabrics with a thin layer of zinc oxide nanoparticles, manufacturers can create clothes that give better protection from 6B radiation. 4ome clothes have nanoparticles in the form of little hairs or whis#ers that help repel water and other materials, ma#ing the clothing stainresistant. S"rat"h/resistant "oatings - 1ngineers discovered that adding aluminum silicate nanoparticles to scratch-resistant polymer coatings made the coatings more effective, increasing resistance to chipping and scratching. 4cratch-resistant coatings are common on everything from cars to eyeglass lenses. Antimi"ro)ia# )an*ages - 4cientist (obert )urrell created a process to manufacture antibacterial bandages using nanoparticles of silver. 4ilver ions bloc# microbes' cellular respiration Csource8 )urnsurgery.orgD. +n other words, silver smothers harmful cells, #illing them. S3imming ,oo# "#eaners and *isin+e"tants - 1nviro4ystems, +nc. developed a mixture 9called a nanoemulsion: of nano-sized oil drops mixed with a bactericide. &he oil particles adhere to bacteria, ma#ing the delivery of the bactericide more efficient and effective. @oshi#azu &sunoG=*$GGetty +mages
)ridgestone engineers developed this Huic#

(esponse Fi-uid $owder 2isplay, a flexible New products incorporating nanotechnology are coming out every day. Erin#le-resistant digital screen, using nanotechnology. fabrics, deep-penetrating cosmetics, li-uid crystal displays 9F32: and other conveniences using nanotechnology are on the mar#et. )efore long, we'll see dozens of other products that ta#e advantage of nanotechnology ranging from +ntel microprocessors to )io/ nano)atteries, capacitorsonly a few nanometers thic#. Ehile this is exciting, it's only the tip of the iceberg as far as how nanotechnology may impact us in the future.

Tennis5 An$one' Nanotechnology is ma#ing a big impact on the tennis world. +n <00<, the tennis rac#et company )abolat introduced the B4 Nanotube $ower rac#et. &hey made the rac#et out of carbon nanotube-infused graphite, meaning the rac#et was very light, yet many times stronger than steel. Aeanwhile, tennis ball manufacturer Eilson introduced the 2ouble 3ore tennis ball. &hese balls have a coating of clay nanoparticles on the inner core. &he clay acts as a sealant, ma#ing it very difficult for air to escape the ball.

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6.

NANO&IRES AND CAR4ON NANOT 4ES

3urrently, scientists find two nano-size structures of particular interest8 nano3ires and "ar)on nanotu)es. Nanowires are wires with a very small diameter, sometimes as small as 1 nanometer. 4cientists hope to use them to build tiny transistors for computer chips and other electronic devices. +n the last couple of years, carbon nanotubes have overshadowed nanowires. Ee're still learning about these structures, but what we've learned so far is very exciting.
CNT is a tubular form of carbon with diameters as small as 1nm, and lengths of over 130 microns

CNTs exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties oungs !odulus over 1 T"a Tensile strength approximately #00 $"a

= carbon nanotube is a nano-size cylinder of carbon atoms. +magine a sheet of carbon atoms, which would loo# li#e a sheet of hexagons. +f you roll that sheet into a tube, you'd have a carbon nanotube. 3arbon nanotube properties depend on how you roll the sheet. +n other words, even though all carbon nanotubes are made of carbon, they can be very different from one another based on how you align the individual atoms. Eith the right arrangement of atoms, you can create a carbon nanotube that's hundreds of times stronger than steel, but six times lighter. 1ngineers plan to ma#e building material out of carbon nanotubes, particularly for things li#e cars and airplanes. Fighter vehicles would mean better fuel efficiency, and the added strength translates to increased passenger safety.

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3arbon nanotubes can also be effective semiconductors with the right arrangement of atoms. 4cientists are still wor#ing on finding ways to ma#e carbon nanotubes a realistic option for transistors in microprocessors and other electronics.
Gra,hite 2s. Diamon*s Ehat's the difference between graphite and diamondsI )oth materials are made of carbon, but both have vastly different properties. Graphite is soft? diamonds are hard. Graphite conducts electricity, but diamonds are insulators and can't conduct electricity. Graphite is opa-ue? diamonds are usually transparent. Graphite and diamonds have these properties because of the way the carbon atoms bond together at the nanoscale.

7. M !"#$!%& N%N T"#'N ! ()* % ! N(+T"&M ,-". Aolecular nanotechnology, sometimes called molecular manufacturing, is a term given to the concept of engineered nanosystems 9nanoscale machines: operating on the molecular scale. +t is especially associated with the concept of a molecular assembler, a machine that can produce a desired structure or device atom-by-atom using the principles of mechanosynthesis. Aanufacturing in the context of productive nanosystems is not related to, and should be clearly distinguished from, the conventional technologies used to manufacture nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles. Ehen the term %nanotechnology% was independently coined and popularized by 1ric 2rexler 9who at the time was unaware of an earlier usage by Norio &aniguchi: it referred to a future manufacturing technology based on molecular machine systems. &he premise was that molecular scale biological analogies of /

traditional machine components demonstrated molecular machines were possible8 by the countless examples found in biology, it is #nown that sophisticated, stochastically optimised biological machines can be produced. +t is hoped that developments in nanotechnology will ma#e possible their construction by some other means, perhaps using biomimetic principles. ;owever, 2rexler and other researchers have proposed that advanced nanotechnology, although perhaps initially implemented by biomimetic means, ultimately could be based on mechanical engineering principles, namely, a manufacturing technology based on the mechanical functionality of these components 9such as gears, bearings, motors, and structural members: that would enable programmable, positional assembly to atomic specification 9$N=4-1!.1:. &he physics and engineering performance of exemplar designs were analyzed in 2rexler's boo# Nanosystems. +n general it is very difficult to assemble devices on the atomic scale, as all one has to position atoms are other atoms of comparable size and stic#yness. =nother view, put forth by 3arlo Aontemagno, is that future nanosystems will be hybrids of silicon technology and biological molecular machines. @et another view, put forward by the late (ichard 4malley, is that mechanosynthesis is impossible due to the difficulties in mechanically manipulating individual molecules. &his led to an exchange of letters in the =34 publication 3hemical J 1ngineering News in <005. &hough biology clearly demonstrates that molecular machine systems are possible, non-biological molecular machines are today only in their infancy. Feaders in research on non-biological molecular machines are 2r. =lex Kettl and his colleagues at Fawrence )er#eley Faboratories and 63 )er#eley. &hey have constructed at least three distinct molecular devices whose motion is controlled from the des#top with changing voltage8 a nanotube nanomotor, a molecular actuator, and a nanoelectromechanical relaxation oscillator. =n experiment indicating that positional molecular assembly is possible was performed by ;o and Fee at 3ornell 6niversity in 1!!!. &hey used a scanning tunneling microscope to move an individual carbon monoxide molecule 93 : to an individual iron atom 9*e: sitting on a flat silver crystal, and chemically bound the 3 to the *e by applying a voltage. ..

C RRENT RESEARCH

Nanomateria#s
&his includes subfields which develop or study materials having uni-ue properties arising from their nanoscale dimentions. Inter+a"e an* Co##oi* S"ien"e has given rise to many Aaterials which may be useful in nanotechnology, such as carbon nanotubes Graphical representation of a and other fullerenes, and various nanoparticles rotaxane, useful as a molecular switch and nanorods.

Nanoscale materials can also be used for )u#k a,,#i"ations? most present commercial applications of nanotechnology are of this flavor. $rogress has been made in using these materials for medical applications.

/ottom+up approaches
&hese see# to arrange smaller components into more complex assemblies.

DNA nanote"hno#og$ utilizes the specificity of Eatson-3ric# basepairing to construct well-defined structures out of 2N= and other nucleic acids. =pproaches from the field of %classical% chemical synthesis also aim at designing molecules with welldefined shape 9e.g. bis-peptides:. Aore generally, mo#e"u#ar se#+/assem)#$ see#s to use concepts of supramolecular chemistry, and molecular recognition in particular, to cause single-molecule components to automatically arrange themselves into some useful conformation.

&his device transfers energy from nano-thin layers of -uantum wells to nanocrystals above them, causing the nanocrystals to emit visible light.

To

,/*o3n a,,roa"hes
&hese see# to create smaller devices by using larger ones to direct their assembly.

Aany technologies descended from conventional so#i*/state si#i"on metho*s for fabricating microprocessors are now capable of creating features smaller than 100 nm, falling under the definition of nanotechnology. Giant magnetoresistance-based hard drives already on the mar#et fit this description, as do atomic layer deposition 9=F2: techni-ues. $eter GrMnberg and =lbert *ert received the Nobel $rize in $hysics for their discovery of Giant magnetoresistance and contributions to the field of spintronics in <00L. 4olid-state techni-ues can also be used to create devices #nown as nanoe#e"trome"hani"a# s$stems or N1A4, which are related to microelectromechanical systems or A1A4. =tomic force microscope tips can be used as a nanoscale %write head% to deposit a chemical upon a surface in a desired pattern in a process called *i, ,en nano#ithogra,h$. &his fits into the larger subfield of nanolithography. *ocussed ion beams can directly remove material, or even deposit material when suitable pre-cursor gasses are applied at the same time. *or example, this techni-ue is used routinely to create sub-100 nm sections of material for analysis in &ransmission electron microscopy.

0peculati1e
&hese subfields see# to anticipate what inventions nanotechnology might yield, or attempt to propose an agenda along which in-uiry might progress. &hese often ta#e a big-picture view of nanotechnology, with more emphasis on its societal implications than the details of how such inventions could actually be created.

7o#e"u#ar nanote"hno#og$ is a proposed approach which involves manipulating single molecules in finely controlled, deterministic ways. &his is more theoretical than the other subfields and is beyond current capabilities. Nanoro)oti"s centers on self-sufficient machines of some functionality operating at the nanoscale. &here are hopes for applying nanorobots in medicineC15DC1>DC1"D, but it may not be easy to do such a thing because of several drawbac#s of such devices.C1/D Nevertheless, progress on innovative materials and methodologies has been demonstrated with some patents granted about new nanomanufacturing devices for future commercial applications, which also progressively helps in the development towards nanorobots with the use of embedded nanobioelectronics concept.C1LDC1.D .rogramma)#e matter based on artificial atoms see#s to design materials whose properties can be easily, reversibly and externally controlled. 2ue to the popularity and media exposure of the term nanotechnology, the words ,i"ote"hno#og$ and +emtote"hno#og$ have been coined in analogy to it, although these are only used rarely and informally.

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TOOLS AND TECHNI8 ES

&he first observations and size measurements of nano-particles were made during the first decade of the <0th century. &hey are mostly associated with the name of Ksigmondy who made detailed studies of gold sols and other nanomaterials with sizes down to 10 nm and less. ;e published a boo# in 1!1>. ;e used ultramicroscope that employs a dark field method for seeing particles with sizes much less than light wavelength. &here are traditional techni-ues developed during <0th century in +nterface and 3olloid 4cience for characterizing nanomaterials. &hese are widely used for first generation ,assi2e nanomateria#s specified in the next section. &hese methods include several different techni-ues for characterizing particle size distribution. &his characterization is imperative because many materials that are expected to be nano-sized are actually aggregated in solutions. 4ome of methods are based on light scattering. ther apply ultrasound, such as ultrasound !
&ypical =*A setup. = microfabricated cantilever with a sharp tip is deflected by features on a sample surface, much li#e in a phonograph but on a much smaller scale. = laser beam reflects off the bac#side of the cantilever into a set of photodetectors, allowing the deflection to be measured and assembled into an image of the surface.

attenuation spectroscopy for testing concentrated nano-dispersions and microemulsions. &here is also a group of traditional techni-ues for characterizing surface charge or zeta potential of nano-particles in solutions. &his information is re-uired for proper system stabilzation, preventing its aggregation or flocculation. &hese methods include microelectrophoresis, electrophoretic light scattering and electroacoustics. &he last one, for instance colloid vibration current method is suitable for characterizing concentrated systems. Next group of nanotechnological techni-ues include those used for fabrication of nanowires, those used in semiconductor fabrication such as deep ultraviolet lithography, electron beam lithography, focused ion beam machining, nanoimprint lithography, atomic layer deposition, and molecular vapor deposition, and further including molecular self-assembly techni-ues such as those employing di-bloc# copolymers. ;owever, all of these techni-ues preceded the nanotech era, and are extensions in the development of scientific advancements rather than techni-ues which were devised with the sole purpose of creating nanotechnology and which were results of nanotechnology research. &here are several important modern developments. &he atomic force microscope 9=*A: and the 4canning &unneling Aicroscope 94&A: are two early versions of scanning probes that launched nanotechnology. &here are other types of scanning probe microscopy, all flowing from the ideas of the scanning confocal microscope developed by Aarvin Ains#y in 1!/1 and the scanning acoustic microscope 94=A: developed by 3alvin Huate and cowor#ers in the 1!L0s, that made it possible to see structures at the nanoscale. &he tip of a scanning probe can also be used to manipulate nanostructures 9a process called positional assembly:. *eature-oriented scanning-positioning methodology suggested by (ostislav Fapshin appears to be a promising way to implement these nanomanipulations in automatic mode. ;owever, this is still a slow process because of low scanning velocity of the microscope. Barious techni-ues of nanolithography such as dip pen nanolithography, electron beam lithography or nanoimprint lithography were also developed. Fithography is a top-down fabrication techni-ue where a bul# material is reduced in size to nanoscale pattern. &he top-down approach anticipates nanodevices that must be built piece by piece in stages, much as manufactured items are made. 4canning probe microscopy is an important techni-ue both for characterization and synthesis of nanomaterials. =tomic force microscopes and scanning tunneling microscopes can be used to loo# at surfaces and to move atoms around. )y designing different tips for these microscopes, they can be used for carving out structures on surfaces and to help guide self-assembling structures. )y using, for example, featureoriented scanning-positioning approach, atoms can be moved around on a surface with scanning probe microscopy techni-ues. =t present, it is expensive and time-consuming for mass production but very suitable for laboratory experimentation. +n contrast, bottom-up techni-ues build or grow larger structures atom by atom or molecule by molecule. &hese techni-ues include chemical synthesis, self-assembly and positional assembly. =nother variation of the bottom-up approach is molecular beam epitaxy or A)1. (esearchers at )ell &elephone Faboratories li#e Nohn (. =rthur. =lfred @. 3ho, and =rt 3. Gossard developed and implemented A)1 as a research tool in the late 1!/0s and 1!L0s. 10

4amples made by A)1 were #ey to the discovery of the fractional -uantum ;all effect for which the 1!!. Nobel $rize in $hysics was awarded. A)1 allows scientists to lay down atomically-precise layers of atoms and, in the process, build up complex structures. +mportant for research on semiconductors, A)1 is also widely used to ma#e samples and devices for the newly emerging field of spintronics. Newer techni-ues such as 2ual $olarisation +nterferometry are enabling scientists to measure -uantitatively the molecular interactions that ta#e place at the nano-scale. ;owever, new therapeutic products, based on responsive nanomaterials, such as the ultradeformable, stress-sensitive &ransfersome vesicles, are under development and already approved for human use in some countries. 19. THE

.ROGRESSION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

Ehy nowI +f it seems that nanotechnology has begun to blossom in the last ten years, this is largely due to the development of new instruments that allow researchers to observe and manipulate matter at the nanolevel. &echnologies such as scanning tunneling microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, and electron microscopy allow scientists to observe events at the atomic level. =t the same time, economic pressures in the electronics industry have forced the development of new lithographic techni-ues that continue the steady reduction in feature size and cost. ne leader in nanotechnology policy has identified four distinct generations in the development of nanotechnology products, to which we can add a possible fifth8 2assi1e Nanostructures 34000+40056 2uring the first period products will ta#e advantage of the passive properties of nanomaterials, including nanotubes and nanolayers. *or example, titanium dioxide is often used in sunscreens because it absorbs and reflects ultraviolet light. Ehen bro#en down into nanoparticles it becomes transparent to visible light, eliminating the white cream appearance associated with traditional sunscreens. 3arbon nanotubes are much stronger than steel but only a fraction of the weight. &ennis rac#ets containing them promise to deliver greater stiffness without additional weight. =s a third example, yarn that is coated with a nanolayer of material can be woven into stain-resistant clothing. 1ach of these products ta#es advantage of the uni-ue property of a material when it is manufactured at a nanoscale. ;owever, in each case the nanomaterial itself remains static once it is encapsulated into the product.

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%cti1e Nanostructures 34005+40106 =ctive nanostructures change their state during use, responding in predicable ways to the environment around them. Nanoparticles might see# out cancer cells and then release an attached drug. = nanoelectromechancial device embedded into construction material could sense when the material is under strain and release an epoxy that repairs any rupture. r a layer of nanomaterial might respond to the presence of sunlight by emitting an electrical charge to power an appliance. $roducts in this phase re-uire a greater understanding of how the structure of a nanomaterial determines its properties and a corresponding ability to design uni-ue materials. &hey also raise more advanced manufacturing and deployment challenges. 0ystems of Nanosystems 34010+40156 +n this stage assemblies of nanotools wor# together to achieve a final goal. = #ey challenge is to get the main components to wor# together within a networ#, possibly exchanging information in the process. $roteins or viruses might assemble small batteries. Nanostructures could self-assemble into a lattice on which bone or other tissues could grow. 4mart dust strewn over an area could sense the presence of human beings and communicate their location. 4mall nanoelectromechancial devices could search out cancer cells and turn off their reproductive capacity. =t this stage significant advancements in robotics, biotechnology, and new generation information technology will begin to appear in products. Molecular Nanosystems 34015+40406 &his stage involves the intelligent design of molecular and atomic devices, leading to Ounprecedented understanding and control over the basic building bloc#s of all natural and man-made things.P =lthough the line between this stage and the last blurs, what seems to distinguish products introduced here is that matter is crafted at the molecular and even atomic 1<

level to ta#e advantage of the specific nanoscale properties of different elements. (esearch will occur on the interaction between light and matter, the machine-human interface, and atomic manipulation to design molecules. =mong the examples that 2r. (oco foresees are Omultifunctional molecules, catalysts for synthesis and controlling of engineered nanostructures, subcellular interventions, and biomimetics for complex system dynamics and control.P 4ince the path from initial discovery to product application ta#es 10-1< years, the initial scientific foundations for these technologies are already starting to emerge from laboratories. =t this stage a single product will integrate a wide variety of capacities including independent power generation, information processing and communication, and mechanical operation. +ts manufacture implies the ability to rearrange the basic building bloc#s of matter and life to accomplish specific purposes. Nanoproducts regularly applied to a field might search out and transform hazardous materials and mix a specified amount of oxygen into the soil. Nanodevices could roam the body, fixing the 2N= of damaged cells, monitoring vital conditions and displaying data in a readable form on s#in cells in a form similar to a tattoo. 3omputers might operate by reading the brain waves of the operator. The 0ingularity 34040 and beyond6 1very exponential curve eventually reaches a point where the growth rate becomes almost infinite. &his point is often called the 4ingularity. +f technology continues to advance at exponential rates, what happens after <0<0I &echnology is li#ely to continue, but at this stage some observers forecast a period at which scientific advances aggressively assume their own momentum and accelerate at unprecedented levels, enabling products that today seem li#e science fiction. )eyond the 4ingularity, human society is incomparably different from what it is today. 4everal assumptions seem to drive predictions of a 4ingularity. &he first is that continued material demands and competitive pressures will continue to drive technology forward. 4econd, at some point artificial intelligence advances to a point where computers enhance and accelerate scientific discovery and technological change. +n other words, intelligent machines start to produce discoveries that are too complex for humans. *inally, there is an assumption that solutions to most of todayQs problems including material scarcity, human health, and environmental degradation can be solved by technology, if not by us, then by the computers we eventually develop. 11. HO& NANO TECHNOLOGY &ILL CHANGE THE &ORLD! :a;. First 4ri"ks Then The 4ui#*ing ! )efore nanotechnology can become anything other than a very impressive computer simulation, nanotechnologists are inventing an assembler, a few-atoms-large nanomachine that can custom-build matter. 1ngineers at 3ornell and 4tanford, as well as at Kyvex 9the self- described %first molecular nanotechnology development company%: are wor#ing to create such assemblers right now. &he first products will most li#ely be superstrong nanoscale building materials, such as the )uc#y tubes . )uc#y tubes are chic#en-wire-shapedtubes made from geodesic dome-shaped carbon molecules . &hese tubes are essentially nanometer-sized graphite fibers, and their strength is 100 to 1"0 times that of steel at less than one-fourth the 15

weight. Eith )uc#y tubes we can build super roller coasters that drop you from 1>,000 feet or we could ta#e tram rides through the ;imalayas. &he #ey to manufacturing with assemblers on a large scale is self-replication. ne nanosized robot ma#ing wood one nano-sized piece at a time would be painfully slow. )ut if these assemblers could replicate themselves, we could have trillions of assemblers all manufacturing in unison. &hen there would be no limit to the #inds of things we could create. %Not only our manufacturing process will be transformed, but our concept of labor. 3onsumer goods will become plentiful, inexpensive, smart, and durable%. :);.The &a$s That 7o#e"u#ar Nanote"hno#og$ "ou#* Change our #i2es!

:).1;7anu+a"turing an* In*ustr$!

Nanotechnology will render the traditional manufacturing process bsolete. *or example, we'd no longer have a steel mill utfitted with enormous, expensive machinery, running on fossi fuels and employing hundreds of human wor#ers? instead we'd have a nanofactory with trillions of nanobots synthesizing steel, molecule by molecule. )ill 4pence believes that all industry would disappear except software engineering and design. Ee'd simply design, engineer, and do a molecular model of any product we wanted, and then software could tell a nanobot how to ma#e it.

:).%;. se o+ Natura# Resour"es!

(ather than clear-cutting forests to ma#e paper, we'd have assemblers synthesizing paper. (ather than using oil for energy, we'd have molecule-sized solar cells mixed into road pavement a few hundred *amine would be obliterated, as food could be synthesized easily and cheaply with a microwave-sized nanobox that pulls the raw materials 9mostly carbon: from the air or the soil. =nd by using nanobots as cleaning machines that brea# down pollutants, we would be able to counteract the damage we've done to the earthsince the industrial revolution.

:).(;.7e*i"ine!
Nanotechnology could also mean the end of disease as we #now it. +f you caught a cold or contracted =+24, you'd 7ust drin# a teaspoon of li-uid that contained an army of molecule-sized nanobots programmed to enter your body's cells and fight viruses. +f a genetic disease ran in yourfamily, you'd ingest nanobots that would burrow into your 2N= and repair the defective . 1ven traditional plastic surgery would be eliminated, as medical nanobots could change your eye color, alter the shape of your nose, or even give you a complete sex change without surgery. 1<. &HAT

NE& O4<ECTS &ILL A..EAR 4ECA SE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY'

$erhaps the big story -- with mature nanotechnology, any ob7ect can morph into any other imaginable ob7ect... truly a concept re-uiring personal exposure to fully understand the significance and possibilities, but to get a grip on the idea, consider this8 &he age of digital matter -- multi-purpose, programmable machines, change the software, and something completely different happens. 1>

= simple can opener or a complex asphalt paver are both, single purpose machines. =s# them to clean your floor or build a radio tower and they %stare% bac# blan#ly. = computer is different, it is a multi purpose machine --one machine that can do unlimited tas#s by changing software... but only in the world of bits and information. *ractal (obots are programmable machines that can do unlimited tas#s in the physical world, the world of matter. Foad the right software and the same %machines% can ta#e out the garbage, paint your car, or construct an office building and later, wash that building's windows. +n large groups, these devices exhibit what may be termed as macro 9hold in your hand: sized %nanobots %, possessing =N2 performing many of the desirable features of mature nanomachines 9as described in 2rexler's, 1ngines of 3reation, 6nbounding the *uture, Nanosystems, etc.:.&his is the beginning of %2igital Aatter%. &hese (obots loo# li#e %(ubic's 3ubes% that can %slide% over each other on command, changing and moving in any overall shape desired for a particular tas#. &hese cubes communicate with each other and share power through simple internal induction coils, have batteries, a small computer and various #inds of internal magnetic and electric inductive motors 9dependingon size: used to move over other cubes 9details here:. Ehen sufficiently miniaturized 9below 0.1mm: and fabricated using photolithography methods, cubes can also be programmed to assemble other cubes of smaller or larger size. &his Oself-assembly% is an important feature that will drop cost dramatically. &he point is R if you have enough of the cubes of small enough dimension, they can slide over each other, or %morph% into any ob7ect with 7ust about any function, one can imagine and program for such behavior. 3ubes of sufficiently miniaturized size could be programmed to behave li#e the %&-<% &erminator (obot in the =rnold 4chwartznegger movie, or a lawn chair... Nust about any animate or inanimate ob7ect. *ractal 4hape 4hifting (obots have been in prototype for the last two years and this form of %digital matter% to hit the commercial seen very soon. +n the near future, if you gaze out your window and see something vaguely resembling an amoeba constructing an office building, you'll #now what %+&% is. &his is not to say individual purpose ob7ects will not be desirable... )ac# to cotton -although 3ubes could mimic the exact appearance of a fuzzy down comforter 9a blan#et:, if made out of cubes, it would be heavy and not have the same thermal properties. =lthough through a heroic engineering effort, such a %blan#et% could be made to insulate and pipe gasses li#e acomforter and even %levitate% slightly to mimic the weight and mass, why bother when the real thing can be manufactured atom by atom, on site, at about a meter a second 9depending on thermal considerations:. =lso, %single purpose% components of larger machines will be built to ta#e advantage of fantastic structural properties of diamondoid-)uc#ytube composites for such things as thin, super strong aircraft parts. &oday, using the theoretical properties of such materials, we can design an efficient, -uiet, super safe personal vertical ta#eoff airocar. &his vehicle of science fiction is probably science future.

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1(. &HICH

IND STRIES SHO LD DISA..EAR 4ECA SE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY'!

1verything -- but software, everything will run on software, and general engineering, as it relates to this new power over matter... and the entertainment industry. 6nfortunately, there will still be insurance salesmen and lawyers, although not in my solar orbiting city state. +f as 2rexler suggest, we can pave streets with self assembling solar cells, + would tend to avoid energy stoc#s. Aature nanites could mine any material from the earth, landfills or asteroids at very low cost and in great abundance. &he mineral business is about to change. &raditional manufacturing will not be able to compete with assembler technology and what happens to all those 7obs and the financial mar#ets is a big, big issue that needs to be addressed now. Ee will have a lot of obsolete mental baggage and $rogramming to throw out of our heads... &raditional pursuits of money will need to be reevaluated when a personal assembler can manufacture a fleet of $orch, that run circles around todays models. =s 2rexler so intuitively points out, the best thing to do, is to get the whole world's society educated and understanding what will and can happen with this technology. &his will help people ma#e the transition and #eep mental, and financial meltdowns to a minimum. 1>. &HICH

NE& IND STRIES SHO LD 4ECA SE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY'

A..EAR

*uture generations are laughing as they read these wordsS Faughing at the utter inade-uacy and closed imagination of this writing... 4o consider this a comically inade-uate list. ;owever, if they are laughing, + am satisfied and at peace, as this means we made it through the transition 9although + fear it shall not be the last:. Aega engineering for space habitation and transport in the 4olar 4ystem will have a serious future. $eople will be surprised at how fast space develops, because right now, a very bright core of nano-space enthusiasts have engineering plans, awaiting thearrival of the molecular assembler. $eople li#e *orrest )ishop have wonderful plans for space transport and development, capable of being implemented in surprisingly short time frames. &his is artificial life, programmed to %grow% faster than natural systems. + thin# Aars will be teraformed in less time than it ta#es to build a nuclear power plant in the later half of the good old, bac#ward <0th century. =n explosion in the arts and service industries are to be expected when no fields need to be plowed for our daily bread, similar to the explosion when agriculture became mechanized and efficient and the sons and daughters of farmers migrated to cities. &his explosion will be exponentially greater. Feisure time, much more leisure time, more diversions... T Ehat professions should disappear because of nano-technology I

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2itch digger, tugboat captain R most professions where humans are now used as %smart brawn%, or as %the best available computer%, including 7et fighter pilot, truc# driver, surgeon, pyramid builder, steel wor#er, gold miner... not that there will not be people doing these 7obs, 7ust for fun. 3harming libation venders have a good future, until the =.+. Ee are 7ust on the verge for finding out how fre-uent and varied novel situations can be. 1". NE&

ENTERTAIN7ENT = E>.ERIENCES &HICH &ILL 4E .OSSI4LE &ITH NANOTECHNOLOGY'

$erhaps the definition of life and entertainment will become blurred, but as + have previously noted, you can have a F & of fun with 6tility *og and a super internet. +n the near term, how about designing a %roller coaster% that self assembles 9traditional construction costs are not a consideration: and made of supermaterials .0-100 times as strong and much lighter than steel. &hat first drop can be made from 1>,000 feetU &he ride can last until you need the s#in replaced on your face. ;ow about a tram ride through the ;imalayasI =mateur underwater archeologist could map and recover ancient treasures from the Aediterranean in personal subs bristling with sensors. 2inosaur hunters could send down microscopic probes into the 1arth searching for new fossil fields, then release nanomachines to meticulously unearth finds. Kero G sports are yet to be defined. &hese are simple examples written by a mind stuc# in this contemporary world view. &he possibilities are as numerous as moves in 5-2 chess. &he *oresight +nstitute suggest we now have the -uestion of not if the technology can be developed, but when. + agree. &he this is a function of the general concept awareness in society. &he media is pic#ing up 2rexler's ideas ever more -uic#ly now. $resently, two =merican companies are #now to be engineering several %magical% assembler dependent products right now, in anticipation of the arrival of the assembler. Eho #nows how many blac# government pro7ects may have hundreds of millions in funding around the world. &he militaraK understands 2rexler's ideas and what a weapons boon nanotechnology will be. 0eep in mind ,nanotechnology is not the ultimate,nor the end of technologyS is nexpico technology 9trillionth of a meter:I +f so, this technology would deal with %matter% on a scale 1000 times smaller and emanate from deep inside the -uantum realm... Ehat does this meanI $ower and understanding over space-time to engineer super luminal flight 9faster than light:I $erhaps. +f so, this would probably represent only the tip of this -uantum weirdness iceberg. $ico &echnology may be developed with enhanced intelligence made available through nanotechnology.

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1/. .RO4LE7S

&ITH C RRENT NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH IDEAS ENERGY RE8 IRE7ENTS!

ne of the big problems not fully appreciated with current ideas in nano technology research is the energy re-uirements for synthesizing bul# materials and big molecules. +f you wanted to build concrete for example atom by atom, then one has to seriously as# whether it is best done using ingredients used for the manufacture of concrete which is found in reasonable abundance or do we start with atoms. +f we start with atoms, then every chemical bond in concrete must be synthesised bond, by bond, using chemical steps that would at best use several times that bond energy to achieve the desired effect. &he result is a an energy re-uirement to synthesise concrete that is way beyond the energy re-uired to ma#e concrete from existing ingredients. *or this reason, bul# materials will never be synthesised using nano technology methods. Nanotechnology contributions would be limited to ma#ing simple precursors if that is energetically feasible and low cost enzymes that speed up various chemical reactions. 3%6.#ross /onding* +n trying to synthesise very large molecules, li#e 2N=, the problems with cross bonding and reactive intermediates bonding unfavourably with other molecules poses a huge ris# to ma#ing perfect molecules. &he wor# of enzymes overcome most of these difficulties. ;owever, enzymes have to be developed that co- exist with other enzymes and other chemicals. +n nature, this is achieved through millions of years of evolution where the right chemicals have been found to do the right 7ob through natural selection pressures. )eyond that, compartmentalisation is used where chemicals cannot co-exist through their design. &he compartmentalisation also re-uires various molecules to transport materials through membranes separating the compartments. =ll these operations re-uire a huge diversity of chemicals that have to be researched and perfected so that they can co-exist with the previous set of chemicals. 3/6.Time &estrictions* &o perfect such systems re-uire an unreasonable amount of effort on behalf of a nano technologist to search out all combinations. +t re-uires considerable effort even now to research 7ust one chemical in all its glorious wor#ing detail let alone combinations of chemicals in a system. 3#6..holesale Mista7es* Nano-technologists hope to side-step many of the issues by using something the e-uivalent of a robot arm to perform molecular level assembly. 3ertainly for mass manufacturing, this is a wholesale mista#e as can be proved when energy considerations are ta#en into account.

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386.&eality* &he idea of molecular assembly is ta#en from 2N= synthesis where a small unit called ribosome attaches to a strand of 2N=, moving along it 5 base pairs at a time to read the genetic code. &he genetic code is a bit li#e binary code but binary codes have only two levels which are 0 and 1. &he genetic code however consist of > different #inds of bases formed into complementary pairs, and since each of these base pairs can have > different values and when 5 sets of base pairs are read, there are >V5 different levels or /> levels that 5 base pairs can code. &here are around <0 amino acids that are coded for by base pairs leaving some of the remaining >> codes not to be used or to doubly code up existing amino acids. &he amino acids are strung together to ma#e a polypeptide chain and this polypeptide chain is the precursor for each of the different chemicals that is found in our body. &he polypetides are processed into various proteins which could be anything from a nutrient to an enzyme. +n all of these operations, the ribosome is the #ey component that translates millions of years of evolution coded into the 2N= as information into actual chemicals that ma#e up living organisms. +t is too tempting and too far a leap to thin# that all that 2N= technology could be replicated in the lab with simple robot arms to ma#e nano- technology machines. 3"6."nergy #onsumption* *or one thing a robot arm that pic#s up a precursor and attaches them precisely to a growing molecule is particularly energy inefficient. @ou have to pic# up the precursor from one place and place it an another which re-uires ;6G1 amounts of energy in relation to the actual wor# accomplished. 396./iological 0ystems : "nergy #onser1ation +n biological system, the currency for energy is the energy carried by =&$ 9=denosine &ri-$hosphate:. 1very time an action is re-uired usually a molecule of =&$ is involved and energy is absorbed from =&$ which is then recycled. +ts common for biochemists to cite reactions in terms of the number of =&$ molecules consumed per reaction. 4o some chemicals re-uire 1 =&$ to accomplish its reactions while others including very large molecules re-uire hundreds to thousands of =&$ molecules to accomplish all its tas#s. &o move a ribosome 5 base pairs while its attached to a 2N= re-uires huge numbers of =&$ molecules to be consumed. )ut a lot of it is recovered when the final protein it ma#es is bro#en down as it gets recycled which means that overall, the process of reading 2N= and ma#ing macro molecules is fairly energy efficient. 3ompare that scenario where a robot arm with dimensions approaching a fraction of a micron is used to synthesise molecules. 1very time the arm swings around to pic# a chemical and place it at the right place to synthesise an exotic chemical, it spends billions of =&$ energy e-uivalents in doing mechanical wor#. =s the robot arm re-uires computers and sensors to ma#e them wor#, we are now counting into trillions of =&$ energy e-uivalents ma#e one chemical bond in the newly synthesised product. &here is no getting away from this reality of the total energy cost in ma#ing a new materials from scratch. Nano technology using this type of universal assembler is clearly nonsense and 1!

doomed to failure in all but a handful of cases where small -uantities of exotic chemicals are involved. 3(6."nergy 9or #omputers : &obot %rms* +t does not matter how small a scale we go, if we use robot arms that have to be swung around, the energy to drive it and the energy to ma#e its feedbac# system in the form of computers wor# would be a tremendous waste compared to ma#ing the product by bul# techni-ues. Aany of these research proposals have their roots from wor# done with 4&1A 94canning &unnelling 1lectron Aicroscope: probes. &hey have been used to image single atoms and also to move atoms about but all in all, the realities of molecular assembly using 4&1As are being escaped here. &o put a few atoms in place has cost trillions upon trillions of =&$ e-uivalent and there is no way to ma#e savings on that energy expenditure except apparently through miniaturisation. 3'6.Nature;s &obot %rm* )y ma#ing the robot arm smaller more energy efficiency can be achieved but still you need a computer to sense and control the operation of the robot arm which means you still end up spending billions in =&$ energy -uivalent to ma#e the system wor#. &he only reason why 2N= wor#s is because the ribosome sits on the 2N= and moves along three base pairs of the 2N= strand to read information. &he energy re-uired to transfer information from 2N= to final product is still high but the product is burned to recycle the energy which means that in total no more than a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand =&$ e-uivalent is used up per product molecule 9i.e. energy used from start to finish including pre- cursors, membrane transport etc.:. &hat is why replication and protein synthesis in nature wor#s. 4pending and recovering energy is the reality of a biological assembly system that reads information stored in a molecule, converts the information briefly to products before recycling them to recover the energy spent. 3-6."nergy f #hemical 0ynthesis* = man made robot arm does not recycle lost energy. 4o where is the 7ustification by nanotechnologists in their claims for ma#ing food from a handful of elements at some time in the futureI &here is no 7ustification for such a claimU +ts far easier and better done using biological organismsUU Ehat of ma#ing concrete and other structures with universal assemblerI &his again is nonsense and it is far easier done with bul# chemicals and bul# processes where minerals and starting materials are extracted efficiently from the ground in their native state and processed to yield the desired products using conventional chemical processing steps. &he development of enzymes that speed up reactions is extremely useful which is best once again synthesised from chemicals that are available from the lab shelves rather than synthesised in limited -uantities by a nano-assembler. 3ommercial realities dictate that its wiser to aim for a chemical that can be synthesised readily in the <0

lab rather than an ultra expensive exotic chemical -uantities with a universal assembler. 3<6.!ac7 f 0elf &epair*

that can only be built in small

=nother sub7ect not fully appreciated about the biological system is the self repair systems built in at all levels from repairing damaged 2N= code to destroying molecules to remanufacture them for re-use. 4mall machines need self repair at all levels to cope with the high brea#age rates found at the smaller scales. Nanotechnologists cannot even begin to address the -uestion right now because they don't have any nano technology machines ready for this wor# to be carried outU 1?. NANOTECHNOLOGY

CHALLENGES5

RIS-S

AND

ETHICS
&he most immediate challenge in nanotechnology is that we need to learn more about materials and their properties at the nanoscale. 6niversities and corporations across the world are rigorously studying how atoms fit together to form larger structures. Ee're still learning about how -uantum mechanics impact substances at the nanoscale. )ecause elements at the nanoscale behave differently than they do in their bul# form, there's a concern that some nanoparticles could be toxic. 4ome doctors worry that the nanoparticles are so small, that they could easily cross the )#oo*/)rain )arrier, a membrane that protects the brain from harmful chemicals in the bloodstream. +f we plan on using nanoparticles to coat everything from our clothing to our highways, we need to be sure that they won't poison us. 3losely related to the #nowledge barrier is the technical barrier. +n order for the incredible predictions regarding nanotechnology to come true, we have to find ways to mass produce nano-size products li#e transistors and nanowires. Ehile we can use nanoparticles to build things li#e tennis rac#ets and ma#e wrin#le-free fabrics, we can't ma#e really complex microprocessor chips with nanowires yet.

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&here are some hefty social concerns about nanotechnology too. Apocalyptic Goo Nanotechnology may also allow us 1ric 2rexler, the man who introduced the word to create more powerful weapons, nanotechnology, presented a frightening apocalyptic vision -both lethal and non-lethal. 4ome self-replicating nanorobots malfunctioning, duplicating organizations are concerned that themselves a trillion times over, rapidly consuming the entire world as they pull carbon from the environment to build more we'll only get around to examining of themselves. +t's called the @gre$ goo% scenario, where a the ethical implications of synthetic nano-size device replaces all organic material. nanotechnology in weaponry after =nother scenario involves nanodevices made of organic these devices are built. &hey urge material wiping out the 1arth -- the @green goo@ scenario. scientists and politicians to examine carefully all the possibilities of nanotechnology before designing increasingly powerful weapons. +f nanotechnology in medicine ma#es it possible for us to enhance ourselves physically, is that ethicalI +n theory, medical nanotechnology could ma#e us smarter, stronger and give us other abilities ranging from rapid healing to night vision. 4hould we pursue such goalsI 3ould we continue to call ourselves human, or would we become transhuman -- the next step on man's evolutionary pathI 4ince almost every technology starts off as very expensive, would this mean we'd create two races of people -- a wealthy race of modified humans and a poorer population of unaltered peopleI Ee don't have answers to these -uestions, but several organizations are urging nanoscientists to consider these implications now, before it becomes too late. Not all -uestions involve altering the human body -- some deal with the world of finance and economics. +f molecular manufacturing becomes a reality, how will that impact the world's economyI =ssuming we can build anything we need with the clic# of a button, what happens to all the manufacturing 7obsI +f you can create anything using a replicator, what happens to currencyI Eould we move to a completely electronic economyI Eould we even need moneyI Ehether we'll actually need to answer all of these -uestions is a matter of debate. Aany experts thin# that concerns li#e grey goo and transhumans are at best premature, and probably unnecessary. 1ven so, nanotechnology will definitely continue to impact us as we learn more about the enormous potential of the nanoscale.

1A. THE

F T RE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

+n the world of %4tar &re#,% machines called re,#i"ators can produce practically any physical ob7ect, from weapons to a steaming cup of 1arl Grey tea. Fong considered to be exclusively the product of science fiction, today some people believe replicators are a very real possibility. &hey call it mo#e"u#ar manu+a"turing, and if it ever does become a reality, it could drastically change the world.

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=toms and molecules stic# together because they have complementary shapes that loc# together, or charges that attract. Nust li#e with magnets, a positively charged atom will stic# to a negatively charged atom. =s millions of these atoms are pieced together by nanomachines, a specific product will begin to ta#e shape. &he goal of molecular manufacturing is to manipulate atoms individually and place them in a pattern to produce a desired structure. &he first step would be to develop nanoscopic machines, called assem)#ers, that scientists can program to manipulate atoms and molecules at will. (ice 6niversity $rofessor (ichard 4malley points out that it would ta#e a single nanoscopic machine millions of years to assemble a meaningful amount of material. +n order for molecular manufacturing to be practical, you would need trillions of assemblers wor#ing together simultaneously. 1ric 2rexler believes that assemblers could first replicate themselves, building other assemblers. 1ach generation would build another, resulting in exponential growth until there are enough assemblers to produce ob7ects.

Assem)#ers might ha2e mo2ing ,arts #ike the nanogears in this "on"e,t *ra3ing.

&rillions of assemblers and replicators could fill an area smaller than a cubic millimeter, and could still be too small for us to see with the na#ed eye. =ssemblers and replicators could wor# together to automatically construct products, and could eventually replace all traditional labor methods. &his could vastly decrease manufacturing costs, thereby ma#ing consumer goods plentiful, cheaper and stronger. 1ventually, we could be able to replicate anything, including diamonds, water and food. *amine could be eradicated by machines that fabricate foods to feed the hungry. <5

Nanotechnology may have its biggest impact on the medical industry. $atients will drin# fluids containing nanorobots programmed to attac# and reconstruct the molecular structure of cancer cells and viruses. &here's even speculation that nanorobots could slow or reverse the aging process, and life expectancy could increase significantly. Nanorobots could also be programmed to perform delicate surgeries -- such nanosurgeons could wor# at a level a thousand times more precise than the sharpest scalpel Csource8 +nternational Nournal of 4urgeryD. )y wor#ing on such a small scale, a nanorobot could operate without leaving the scars that conventional surgery does. =dditionally, nanorobots could change your physical appearance. &hey could be programmed to perform cosmetic surgery, rearranging your atoms to change your ears, nose, eye color or any other physical feature you wish to alter. Nanotechnology has the potential to have a positive effect on the environment. *or instance, scientists could program airborne nanorobots to rebuild the thinning ozone layer. Nanorobots could remove contaminants from water sources and clean up oil spills. Aanufacturing materials using the )ottom/u, metho* of nanotechnology also creates less pollution than conventional manufacturing processes. ur dependence on non-renewable resources would diminish with nanotechnology. 3utting down trees, mining coal or drilling for oil may no longer be necessary -- nanomachines could produce those resources. Aany nanotechnology experts feel that these applications are well outside the realm of possibility, at least for the foreseeable future. &hey caution that the more exotic applications are only theoretical. 4ome worry that nanotechnology will end up li#e virtual reality -- in other words, the hype surrounding nanotechnology will continue to build until the limitations of the field become public #nowledge, and then interest 9and funding: will -uic#ly dissipate.

1B. .OTENTIAL SIDE

EFFECTS!

Ehat will happen to the global order when assemblers and automated engineering eliminate the need for most international tradeI ;ow will society change when individuals can live indefinitelyI Ehat will we do when replicating assemblers can ma#e almost anything without human laborI Ehat will we do when =+ systems can thin# faster than humansI 3%6.The &ight Tools in the .rong 'ands* =s with computers, nanotechnology and programmable assemblers could become ordinary household ob7ects. +t's not too li#ely that the average person will get hold of and launch a nuclear weapon, but imagine a deranged white separatist launching an army of nanobots programmed to #ill anyone with brown eyes or curly hair. =nd even if nanotechnology remains in the hands of governments, thin# what a 4talin or a 4addam ;ussein could do. Bast armies of tiny, specialized #illing machines that could be built and dispatched in a day? nano-sized surveillance devices or probes that could be implanted in the brains of people without their #nowledge. &he potential misuses of nanotechnology are vast. 3/6.%ttac7 of the =iller Nanobots>*

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=nd what about the old sci-fi fear that robots will evolve greater intelligence than humans, become sentient, and ta#e over the worldI 3ertainly nanomachines might replicate and spread faster than we could control them. 2rexler posits that a little thin#ing ahead could address this problem. *or example, self-replicating assemblers could be programmed to compare their instruction sets an destroy any copies with the slightest deviation. &hat way, mutant nanobots could be contained before they did any damage. ne point most fail to realize when first considering the effects of nanotechnology on population 9the demise and reversal ofaging:, is the same nanotechnology will open up outer space with all its unimaginable -uantities of material, energy and elbowroom, with truly inexpensive access, great safety 9massively redundant systems: made possible by the new economics of self replicating machinery. %&he 4olar 4ystem could accommodate the population of the 1arth a billion times over, 9living: in style.% =lso to be considered is the fact once nanotechnology arrives, this is not the end of discovery and technology. +t is a futile endeavor... to consider how population is affected by this technology viewed with a perspective of arrival, then a flat curve, through to infinity. %9. CONCL

SION!

;umanity will be faced with a powerful, accelerated social revolutions as a result of nanotechnology. +n the near future, a team of scientists will succeed in constructing the first nao-sized robot capable f self replication. 3onsumer goods will become plentiful, inexpensive, smart, and durable. Aedicine will ta#e a -uantum leap forward. 4pace travel and colonization will become safe and affordable. *or these and other reasons global life styles will change radically and human behavior drastically impacted.

REFERENCES! 1. <. 5. >. ". /. www.howstuffwor#s.com http8GGen.wi#ipedia.orgGwi#iGNanotechnology www.wisegee#s.com http8GGwww.actionbioscience.orgG http8GGwww.crnano.orgG http8GGwww.scribd.comG

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