Improvement Nano/Biotechnology

Description:

Nanotechnology is a group of emerging technologies in which the structure of matter is controlled at the nanometer scale, the scale of small numbers of atoms, to produce novel materials and devices that have useful and unique properties. Some of these technologies impose only limited control of structure at the nanometer scale, but they are already in use, producing useful products. They are also being further developed to produce even more sophisticated products in which the structure of matter is more precisely controlled. The first initiatives were a further development of the micro-electronic technology. But as development carried on and improvements were achieved the development broadened to biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and chemical technology on the nano-level

The influence on our life will be huge and is hard to predict. Humanity can be influenced in a way we hardly can imagine.

Enablers:

- Advancements in science

- Advancements in technology

- Research

- Need for smaller & lighter devices & circuits

- Need for less expensive devices & circuits

- The strive for improving our health

- The strive to control life and the environment

Inhibitors:

- Funding

- Commercial viability

- Ethics

- Fear of the unpredictable

- Fear of abuse

Timing:

The first practical tools coming from nanotechnology are already available since about one to two years. Expectations for the future is: Material: 3 years Energy: 5 years Healthcare: 8 years Nanoelectronics: 10 years

Examples of nano"tools":

Nano_examples.jpg.

Web Resources:

Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology

http://www.foresight.org/EOC/EOC_Chapter_5.html#section01of06

Foresight Institute: Preparing for Nanotechnology

http://www.foresight.org/

Nanotechnology by dr. Ralph Merkle

http://www.zyvex.com/nano/

About Nanotechnology

http://www.foresight.org/nano/index.html

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