Nanotechnology

dr_d

<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.

james8448

Had a talk about this a while back in a physics lecture I had. They are planning 2 bridge a lift that goes to the moon with nano fibres. Then them damn skulks will climb down and we'll have a real life NS situation going on. *Feels a sharp poke and wakes up from day dream* sorry where was I....... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->

Bogglesteinsky

Sounds plausible. Im going to a seminar on it sometime early next year. could be very interesting

Stakhanov

There's a risk with nanotechnology : global dictatorship. The whole mankind could be enslaved by a small clique , and rebels would be killed by nano-assassins before they could act. Nano-robots spreading everywhere , controlling everything. Since theses can't be sentient , they would blindly obey their masters. Nano-networks would quickly overwhelm any attempt at hijacking the nanotechnology , especially if they are self-evolving.

Think of something even worse than 1984...

Kheras

That nanotechnology is not the sci-fi fantasy stuff folks think about. There's a lot of advances to be made before we can make an autonomous machine that small. The switches and motors are neat and all, but they are very rudimentary and require a large control structure. So, in a sense, they cheated because the machine is really that little molecule plus the room-sized pieces of equipment needed to get it to do its trick.

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.

dr_d

That's an interesting concept, kind of like a bacteria that is controlled by a slighly larger machine, so instead of having to contrusct microscopic infrastructers they could use a model already present in the enviorment, hmm wonder if that's possible a bacteria mind-control of sorts.

Wurmspawn

<!--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-->from article D.Tsuruoka, sept30/03
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.

Dirty_Harry_Potter

well Denmark has made a line on Uni for Nanotechnologi, my Brother actually joined it.
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.

Cronos

We need to get some things straight I think...

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...

Kheras

Nanites is what is in the realm of fantasy atm though. Nano fibers may very well be the blocks we build their casing or structure out of.

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-->

Rue

Nano tech is all ready being used. well kinda there is a type of glass that the nano thingys losen the dirt on it so when it rain it cleans the glass fully. a small use but still a step forward.

Kheras

Self-cleaning glass has a nanofine titanium dioxide coating, the surface essentially attracts water to it so the cleaning is an attribute of the material.

Just saw a prospectus on nanotubes at work and the ones we can manufacture now are very promising.

Jammer

I think its quite obviously the future of technology. The Minority Report shows what nanotech could do with widespread usage.

"Hello Mr. Yamaguchi!"

EDIT
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... Looks at Dr. d.
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Xzilen

Could someone please explain or link me to some detailed yet not too complicated information about what exactly nano-tech is?

Thanks

Kheras

Nanotech is working with materials in sizes of a nanometer or less (one billionth of a meter). It has a lot of applications, but the sci-fi community has taken up nano-robots. Nano-robotics is probably still far off for us, as we lack the capability to build the components they'd be made out of.

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>

kida

Can someone give me a really good link in the basics of Nanotechnology, seeing that I don't quite understand it as of yet (never heard of it, really). Too lazy to go on google and search.

TuBeL

Excellent link Kheras. The part about artificial photosynthesis could have tremendous applications.

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)

TheWizard

Ugh, as I work on my VLSI homework the last thing I want to think about is nanotechnology.

Its bad enough that my circuit didnt work because my circuit layouts were 3 freaking atoms off.

Nanotechnology makes wizard get a headache.

Aegeri

In a lot of respects this is exciting technology, except there are a lot of problems with it.

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.

Hawkeye

You can't possibly see this type of technology until quantum computers are invented. They are working on that now, granted. It would be a very small and efficient way to make a computer chip. This is exactly what nanotechnology needs. We can't get computer chips smaller than a pin head (and while that might seem small, it is humongous relative to a cell).

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.