A Review of Nanotech's Future

captainsaavik writes "A Washington Post article today reviews nanotechnology - 'Nanotechnology, the hot young science of making invisibly tiny machines and materials, is stirring public anxiety and nascent opposition inspired by best-selling thrillers that have demonized the science -- and new studies suggesting that not everything in those novels is fantasy.'"

Comments

Unstoppable

[IanBevan]

We will research, improve, innovate and ultimately implement nanotech solutions for one simple reason: we can. It's been the same right throughout human history.

The views of the objectors, no matter how well founded and how well intentioned, will not lead to r&d into nanotech (or any other new technology, including human cloning) being stopped. At best it might be delayed, but even then the money to be made by Big Business makes this unlikely IMO.

Can anybody think of any kind of new technology that has been abandoned, or even significantly delayed, through alleged (or real) risks ? I suspect new technologies are only abandoned because they are not feasible either technically or commercially (cost too much, too late to market etc) rather than for some ethical or environment consideration.

Re:Unstoppable

[FlipmodePlaya]

If it counts for anything, most of my area is powered by a nuclear plant... It hasn't really been abandoned, judging by the electric bill I'm continually served with.

Re:Unstoppable

[NixLuver]

I know that here in the midwest, the red-tailed hawk has recovered in population - you never saw them at all when I was a child.

I've also seen the nests with crushed eggs that collapsed under the weight of the mother 'way back in the gradeschool days, from people who weren't aware of any political agenda behind DDT.

I'm not one to reject out of hand the concept of the government putting political and corporate concerns above and ahead of the health of their citizens. Perhaps you can tell me, then, if it wasn't the DDT used extensively here in the country's breadbasket, what, exactly, was it that caused the fragility of the Raptor's eggs back then, and where did it go?

Diamond Age, I pray for thee

[Azghoul]

... and I'm a friggin atheist. :)

Man, I can't wait. Of course, the greatest innovations of the coming Diamond Age haven't even been imagined yet, if history is any guide.......

(just wish they'd hurry up)

Backlash.

[jabberjaw]

Does anyone recall the hostility encountered with GM crops in Europe and Africa? I do believe that corporations are going to have to take a good long hard look at how they are going to handle the public with regards to nanotech.

Re:The ultimate vaporware...

[Saeger]

Very funny, but what you call vaporware actually has a real name: "Utility Fog"

Imagine it as a huge mesh of strong, flexible, microscopic interlocking nodes with a distributed brain. Its density is so low that you couldn't see it in a volume as small as a glass, but like a cloud it becomes more opaque with thickness. Sort of like that aerogel stuff, but more XTREME(!).

The applications of utility fog are boundless, but one I'm sure parents would love is the "security blanket" for their kids - the fog would act as smart 24/7 airbag extending for several feet around the body so little Timmy never gets bruised falling down the stairs...

--

Grey goo fake/medical risks real

[kirkjobsluder]

One of the things that I appreciated about this article was how it only spent a small bit on the grey goo hypothesis. The folks who propose any kind of a goo should step back from the science fiction, and read some biochemestry and microbial ecology. Energy is probably the primary limited resource for replication and there just is not that much out there available to nano-scale machines or organisms.

The medical concerns should be taken seriously however. The Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology has a nice page that promises to be a clearinghouse for information on these issues.

Bad news is still news...

[thrill12]

so this publicity is probably a good thing, even though they never tell the truth.
I can still remember the days when these books hit the shelves:
"Evil steam-monster", around 1803, told a horrifying tale about a big steel monster that spewed steam, ran over everyone and made everyone cough very heavily.
"Lightning horror!", around 1877, very good thriller about artificially created light that made zombies of everyone so they couldn't stop working for the whole 24 hours.
"Tube of death", around 1926, which was mostly about a tube that transmitted moving light-beams and brainwashed everyone with stories about fictious people through their everyday lifes.

See, nothing to worry about...

Gov't Downplaying Nanotech like Nuclear

[Saeger]

Some of the best evidence for the feasibility of advanced nanotech is that the government has recently started up a disinformation campaign as a smokescreen to accelerate their own research. They did the same thing back in the 40's when developing nuclear weapons: publicly poopooing it on the one hand to discourage others, while actively developing it on the other.

A salient quote from a nanodot.org article on this subject:

After the seminar, I happen to bump into Drexler and have a rare opportunity to speak with him alone. I bring up the possibility that there could be a secret military project to develop nanoassemblers, and the current government position in the nanotech debate is a disinformation program.

Following the briefest of pauses, Drexler looks me in the eye and replies in the same high, clear voice I'd heard him use during the panel discussion, "Those things are hard to know about." He still has his game face on.

--

Risk Awareness

[Wardish]

After having read the article, Yep I RTFA.

Good article overall. Points out that the extent of nanotechnology is likely to be less than some hope and fear.

The gray goo ideal is hampered by design, energy and speed/movement constraints which means that it's only going to be a problem if we haven't the technology to combat isolated outbreaks.

We can't put the genie back in the bottle, someone is going to study this technology and use it for unfriendly ends. The only question is will we have the knowledge and skills necessary to counter that.

I believe that restrictive regulation would make it more likely that we wouldn't have the resources to fight such threats. I also believe that there is a limited period of vulnerability until all citizens have defenses as part of their normal biotechnological compliment. The less restriction on research in the bio/nano technology arena the faster I believe we can get through this threatening period.

As an aside on "Prey", I've noticed over the years that Mr. Crichton has made it a point to use his status and writing talents against Bio and Nano technologies. I understand that he has every right to do so, but I also believe I've a right to point out such.

*chuckle* it's going to be a VERY interesting couple of decades...

*now* back to my regularly scheduled Thorazine dose...