Molecular nanotech: enormous revolution on the horizon

Whether you fear it, welcome it, don’t understand it, or think it’s too crazy to be true, molecular nanotech (MNT) is about to revolutionize your world.

Writer Henry Kluytmans, in his essay, Nanotechnology and the arrival of the Diamond Age, explains how this incredible science works and describes some of the benefits to expect.

Historians consider medieval times as a barbaric period in human history. Average life expectancy was 30 years; there were no anesthetics, most people performed long hours of back-breaking work, and authorities restricted many freedoms.

As we go forward into our ‘nanofuture’, we may one day look back at early 21st century life and consider this time barbaric too; life expectancy was only 80, many people suffered poverty and horrendous diseases, and nearly everyone accepted unwanted death as normal.

MNT will radically improve all of today’s economy and health problems. It will replace conventional ways of producing goods by simply rearranging atoms and molecules. This revolutionary technology will eventually provide most of our material needs – housing, food, clothing, cars and electronics – labor-free with little or no materials cost.

To achieve this remarkable future, scientists must first create robot assemblers that can grab individual atoms and molecules and organize them into items. These microscopic-size assemblers will have a tiny computer aboard to provide build instructions.

Today, researchers can only move atoms by pushing them around with a scanning probe microscope. Leading industry firms Nanorex and Zyvex both hope to create the world’s first assembler by as early as 2010. Conservatives believe this timeframe is too optimistic and suggest that 2020 may be more likely. A good guess at when MNT will become reality would be 2015.

Many ‘standard’ nanotech products have already hit the market. These include high-storage disk drives, sturdier golf clubs, longer-lasting tennis balls, hard-to-break sunglasses, fog-free mirrors and water-proof, wear-resistant clothes that later will be able to change color on demand. However, these pale with what is yet to come.

Experts predict MNT supercomputers smaller than a grain of sand, powerful mosquito-size weapons, strong light-weight aircraft and solar systems that produce renewable energy at less cost than burning fossil fuels. Later, expect auto-drive cars, self-cleaning homes, and medical ‘bots that monitor our health, deliver drugs, and replace aging cells.

A Tel-Aviv University report, Envisioned Developments in Nanobiotechnology, suggests the following timetable:

• 2008: Nano-agents that penetrate cells for earlier detection of cancer, heart disease

• 2013: Nano-tools that manipulate DNA to improve gene therapy, other biotech applications

• 2015: Nano-systems that automatically repair and/or change color of cars, clothes, houses

• 2018: In vitro construction of human organs; hearts, skin, bones

• 2021: Medical nanobots to repair cells, stop aging, restore youth

Writer Mihail C. Roco in his article Nanotechnology’s Future predicts that by 2015-2020 MNT will provide an interface linking our minds directly with electronics to allow ‘thought commands’ to open doors, turn on lights, access TV, and browse the web.

Commerce will drive this wonder-tech forward. NanoInvestorNews.com predicts that by 2015, global sales will reach $3 trillion and employ two million workers directly and six million in supporting jobs. MNT promises to become the greatest technology ever conceived by humanity. Go “magical future”.

Comments welcome

2 problems:

1. The robot itself would be made of atoms or molecules, and so will exchange significant momentum with the atoms and molecules it handles.

2. A computer aboard the robot. How many atoms in it? Maybe just enough for a quantum dot?

I am not sure I understand the issues you are mentioning. Are you saying that because assemblers are made from atoms that they cannot assemble other atoms to create items?

Perhaps this five-minute movie showing an artist's view of a nano-assembler in action might help.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2022170440316254003

Again, please clarify the issues. Thanks.

The first issue is the false concept that the robot or machinery stays rigid while handling the atoms or molecules. There is brownian motion resulting in momentum transfer between the "handler" and "handled". The video shows it happening only for some molecules when it should be happening for all of them. Even large bacteria wiggle due to this effect.

The second issue is the idea of information storage on the nanometer level. How much information can be stored at this level? Since you only have maybe one available molecule or so many atoms for storage, I would hardly call that a computer. Also how can this information be retrieved on the nanometer level? Electric current? From where to where? How do you apply a voltage to a molecule that is jostling around thermally?

I am unable to adequately address your concerns, but you might find solutions to the issues you mention from these sites: http://www.merkle.com/ or http://www.rfreitas.com/.

These are two of the more prestigious scientists involved with molecular nanotech and are proponents of a bright nano-future. I often write about their work.

I am a writer and moderator of the Las Vegas Futurists Salon. I create a weekly science and technology column that is published in several western U.S. newspapers and I maintain a website at http://www.positivefuturist.com.

Our futurists organization rounds up prominent guests for our meetings. Last night, Michael Laine, President of LiftPort Group spoke on the progress his company is making towards building the world's first Space Elevator. Each month we have scientists, authors, or entrepreneurs providing enlightening information on various futuristic endeavors.

Sorry I cannot be of more help. *** Pelletier

wow! that was the most ridiculous video I've ever seen. Okay, so what happens when a part of the machine gets jammed? I guess you'll have to invent a shrink-ray first, so that you can shink the mechanic to go fix it. Not to mention the day laborors needed to build the first machines. Only rich idiots should invest in this.

okay fine. I can buy into the idea that someday (like hundreds of years from now)the exact atomic construction of a product is possible. But as soon as that day happens, say goodbye to death, and say hello to yourself. Why? because soon after, the entire atomic composition of your own body will be able to be saved at any given point of your life. 'Its my 21st B-day, I need to save this', star-trek style. So when you die, go back to 21, right? But even worse, you could then create as many of your exact '21 yr old' selves as you'd like. The big question is, if there are 2 of yourselves in exactly the same atomic composition, would you be able to live in both creature's bodies eyes at the same time, or do they fight to the death and you only occupy the winner?

To op's starter thread.

Synthetic organisms, such as artificial people will be constructed and only be kept apart from mankind, from a special boards ruling.

*I feel that this might be in more distant time?

Keep the faith; a bright future is just around the corner

• Golden age of biotech – 2010-2020 – most medical issues solved.
• Golden age of nanotech – 2010-2035 – nanobots maintains our health; replicators provide material needs at little or no cost.
• Cognitech breakthroughs – 2030-2040 – reverse-engineered brain enlightens our thoughts; harmful intentions become unthinkable. Crime, terrorism, wars disappear.
• Intelligence advances – 2035-2045 – machines surpass human intelligence; people swap biological cells for non-biological ones that perform more efficiently.

Mid-century life will hardly resemble the struggles humanity endures today. We will wonder how we ever survived (many will not, more than 50 million will die this year of which most could be saved with 2030 technologies).

Science and technologies promise a utopian life from mid-century onward. Sometime during the next century – 2100-2200 – more humans (yes, we will still consider ourselves human) will live in space than on Earth.