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What Does the
Future Hold? |
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Short Term
Smaller, Faster
Technologies built from the nanometer scale up will have little or no
impurities or inaccuracies. Molecular bonds are some of the
strongest we know of. When each atom is
precisely put in place, there should be no unbonded atoms or dangling
structures to contribute weaknesses to the system. Additionally,
when each atom is put in place there should be more tolerance for
placement since the molecules at the atom's designated position should
naturally draw it in, based on basic physics. (Drexler, 64) This purity would be
ideal for computing industries which are constantly in search of even
purer production methods of Silicone, already achieving grades of 99.999%
purity.
Another advantage of nanotechnology
is its use as a storage media. Instead of a whole blob of matter
storing a bit of information via an electric charge, there are other
methods which scientists have envisioned. For instance, what if you
could create a design on a surface using two types of atoms. Each
atom would be either Element 1 or Element 0, and in an ordered fashion can
store data. For instance, scientists have envisioned doing this on a
surface
of diamond. Other scientists envision using far smaller atomic
characteristics as the storage medium. What if we could use the position
of electrons in an atom? Or what if we could use the spin of an
electron, which only has two directions? It seems like the
possibilities are endless.
Here is a
graph of comparative complexities
demonstrating what might be possible.
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Mid-Range
Automated Processes
Once we are able to develop independent nanodevices and then are able to
program them, we will be able to utilize them in a slew of biological
applications. In the medical industry, devices could be released into the bloodstream where
it is hoped they will serve as "cellular repairmen," repairing
damaged tissue at the atomic level. In research much more
detailed information could be collected about cellular
processes.
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Long Term
Macro-Scale Fabrication
The Holy Grail of nano-fabrication is the ability to build macroscopic
products from the ground up. After all, if you can build little
things, then why can't you just build and build and build until you have
something that can actually be seen by the naked eye, or even used by
people as a standard product.
What impact would this have for society, however? Imagine a world in
which you punch a few keys on a touch screen and in minutes a food
replicator creates a nutritious meal. Imagine having clothing
actually produced for you by the labor of these little tiny machines,
without even lifting a finger. Imagine the vast amount of work that
people would not have to do. Life would be so much better, or would
it? This idea was is very similar to that visualized when robots
became a hot topic of conversation. What would happen to people when
robots began providing for all of our physical needs? Ethical
controversy abounds and in the end a middle ground was struck wherein
certain jobs are still restricted to solely human labor, and in other ways
human kind has benefited tremendously from their inception.
Here is
one man's view of the future: http://www.nickbostrom.com/2050/world.html
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Run
Away Replication Dilemma
For this mass-production, however, billions of nanomachines would be
necessary. In order to make this dream a reality, self-replicating devices
would be necessary. Build several small nanomachines which when
released produce more nanomachines, therefore automating the
process. When there are enough of these devices created, they would
have the ability to assemble more massive structures. This situation
presents the Pandora's Box of nanotechnology, however. What would
eventually stop these nanomachines from replicating infinitely, similar to
cancer cells? This is often referred to as the Star Trek
Scenario because the conundrum was first presented through a Star Trek
which featured "nanites." (Drexler, 252) Their replication
would be stunning due to their simple molecular design, could blow like
pollens of grain to new locations, and would be virtually impossible to
trace. Once let loose, these nano-replicators would use all
available resources around them to create copies of themselves. So
how can this tragedy be circumvented? Either they should have some
form of disabling feature (such as X-ray pulses or Ultraviolet light or a
built-in clock), they can be built with defects so that they can be easily
destroyed, or self-replicating devices should never be built. The
best choice is actually a combination of all three of these, in which
multiple micro-scale disabling features are built in, that we have a way
of destroying them, and that we limit when they are created.
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Synopsis
As with
many other possible world changing technologies there seem to be infinite
possibilities. As engineers we can apply and manipulate nature in
tremendous ways. It is our choice to make sure that we consider each
step with an ethical lens in order to preserve what is right, just and
beneficial. We should not fear what might happen but plan for
it. Most importantly, we should seize the opportunities that this
opens up for us and use them to help change the world for the better.
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