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Nanotechnology: Anticipating boundless Possibilities in the Future Since the dawn of time we have followed the same method of construction implemented by the early cave people, and that is to add on to what we already have. Primitive earth inhabitors, for example, built a simple fireplace by stacking stones on top of each other, as modern engineers would assemble a cellular phone from electric circuits. When Eric Drexler wrote his infamous book Engines of Creation in 1986 (Nanotechnology), he had a new and improved method of construction in mind: nanotechnology. Drexler, who many refer to as the father of nanotechnology, believed that in a few years time companies would be building their products millions of times smaller (actually, on the nano-scale, where a nanometer is just one billionth of a meter!) by manipulating the very atoms that make up basic natural resources. Also, Drexler and other nanotechnology supporters envisioned a world where direct rearrangement of atomic structure can turn unwanted items (like a piece of dirt) into craved-for products (a juicy piece of fillet, for example) at no cost at all (Regis). All this may seem mouth watering at sight, but we cannot help but ask ourselves questions such as “Is nanotechnology feasible?” and “What have scientists done so far?” and “What can we expect in the future?” One point is for sure, and that is the nano-dream would prove its validity only if breakthroughs come on their way in the near future. As Ralph Merkle, Drexler’s confidant, once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” (Regis) With the nano-dream still lingering in our minds, scientists are convinced that a possible future life where atomic manipulations can eliminate industrial production and end human hardships is on its way. A Well Rounded Definition of Nanotechnology Comparison to a Computer Nanotechnology is a field of science that hopes to revolutionize the whole concept of production. An insightful way to understand the concept behind nanotechnology is to compare it to a computer’s inevitable cycle of processing and storing information. To many a computer’s work may seem complicated, but actually it is quite the contrary. For all its processes, a computer refers to the building blocks that compose it, the bits. If you are unaware of the terminology, a bit is a single unit of storage, hardly capable of storing a simple command or digit number. As simple as it may seem, all of the computer’s chips, hardware, software or any other component are paralyzed without the use of the bit. All information production and storage are maintained via the collection of bits the computer houses (a collection of bits is usually referred to as the main memory of the computer), which perform all this work at almost no cost. Nanotechnology preaches a similar approach, which is that any entity of any size can be produced by the direct manipulation of the building blocks of matter, the atoms (hence for a computer, the bits are the atoms) (Craver). A Deviation from Modern Production Nanotechnology is commonly referred to as molecular nanotechnology because all it requires is the abundant natural resource of molecules and atoms, so it is quite an inexpensive process. Today, technological items such as cellular phones are expensive because our current method of construction, known as “bulk technology”, promotes the construction of products by renovating items that already exist. The term bulk is appropriate because manufacturers are simply taking out or adding parts to slabs of material they already have. Nanotechnology, on the other hand, involves production from scratch or “from the atoms up” in much the same way our body and Mother Nature produce matter (Foresight FAQ General Nanotechnology Information) (cells assemble DNA and other vital products from no starting material, and certainly at no cost at all!). The goal of nanotechnology is to able to produce anything, more notably very small objects such as computer chips that are extremely fast and efficient. The Nanotechnology Process The “Assembler” Nanotechnology requires the manipulation of atoms, but how could this be done? Drexler thought of this and mentioned that the age of nanotechnology would be launched as long as the first “assembler” is built. An assembler, according to Drexler, is a miniature nano-robotic arm (the prefix nano indicates the machine would only just be larger than an atom) that would function as an atom-rearranging device. The assembler is only theoretical, and would ideally keep atoms under control and precisely reorganize them until the desired arrangements of atoms are reached. Keep in mind that a material is distinguished from another because of its arrangement of atoms. For instance, we get a whole new gas helium by adding a single electron to the atom of hydrogen. Thus, assemblers would be able to create whatever you desire by changing the position of atoms in basic materials you already have or that are free. The ideal assembler should be extremely fast and efficient, for it would take an interminable time period to manipulate one atom at a time. Drexler also wanted his assembler to cooperate with other assemblers, so that a product would be developed at even less time (Craver). In addition, assemblers would be designed to be self-replicating and preprogrammed to utterly eliminate the need for a labor force. When the product reaches completion, the assemblers are programmed to recycle any waste products that result from the production process, further reducing the cost of the process! (Foresight FAQ General Nanotechnology Information) Drexler’s magic machine Drexler also proposed an idea of a machine that would be about the same size and shape of a microwave oven and would incorporate the network of assemblers working on atomic manipulation. The machine’s interior would resemble a warehouse, where assemblers lined up close together would move atoms from one destination to another, like a robotic arm selects and picks up an object form a conveyer belt in a factory assembly line (Regis) (Of course, nanotechnology occurs on a molecular level, unlike conventional macroscopic assembly in a factory). This machine, intended to be consumer friendly, would transform unwanted resources to a product the user desires in just a few seconds. Figure 1: Erik Drexler Source: Adapted form What is Nanotechnology? (Craver) The History of Nanotechnology The Originators of Nanotechnology and Their Quest to Popularize It Although nanotechnology is mainly a theoretical concept, the idea has been present for some time now. Surprisingly, the first person to have thought of the idea was not Drexler but a physicist by the name of Richard P. Feynman who in 1959 stated that “nano-sized objects” could be made using self-replicating molecules (Silvia). Unfortunately, Feynman died in 1988, and it was not until Eric Drexler wrote his book Engines of Creation in 1986 when nanotechnology was reintroduced. In 1992, Drexler received further recognition when he wrote Nanosystems, prompting top U.S. universities such as MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to become interested in nanotechnology and offer a doctorate degree in molecular nanotechnology (Drexler was the first to receive this doctorate form MIT). From then on the list of nanotechnology advocates began to grow, one name in particular standing out from the rest, Al Gore. The former U.S. vice president under former president Bill Clinton was a supporter of the nano-dream during its early days, describing it as “a brand new approach to fabrication.”(Regis) Feynman and IBM Disprove the Critics In a famous conference meeting attended by Al Gore, Drexler confidently remarked that the nano-dream would take fifteen years reach completion (we now know he was too optimistic since his estimate predicts nanotechnology should already be in full effect today).
Approximate Word count = 4894
Approximate Pages = 19.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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