What Is Nanotechnology? 10^-9

[jsasomerville 0]

Nanomaterials are finding application from making a better hard drive to finding a cure for cancer.  But there is nothing particularly special about them, they are just smaller versions of materials that we have known about for centuries.

196783[/snapback]

THere is everything special about them. With a nanomachine, you can do virtually anything in terms of manipulating small scale matter. Let's look at diamond. To make the strongest diamond, you must have a fully carbon substance where each carbon will bond in a very specific cubic formation. It's extremely rare to have this occur in nature. Also, it won't be very useful. Now imagine a series of nanomachines that can assemble each diamond element and form them together in long threads. You would have very light and incredibly powerful cables. This is just one of the applications. You can use it in biomedical applications for attaching to and breaking down cancerous cells. Or, it can be used to repare blood vessels in people suffering from cardiovascular disease. It's not just smaller versions of materials. This can revolutionize the world.

[sammaye 0]

hasnt any one heard of the grey goo that apparently one scientist pridicted nano technology could turn into.The theory behind this is that like when some one dies the nano bots live on and become indepent or something but anyway they get into groups or masses and they destroy everything that comes near them. apparently prince charles him self wanted some kind of defence aginst the potiental future threat...or so I saw on a TV program...

[liauce 0]

This idea of nanotechnology and nanobots invading your body to heal you or do whatever to you rings a bell with Michael Crichton's book - PREY.It is an interesting science fiction that probably arouses the feelings that science and this nanotechnology may be just another step forward that destroys the environment and depletes resources, but is worse this time. It kills. Go read the book.

[jsasomerville 0]

hasnt any one heard of the grey goo that apparently one scientist pridicted nano technology could turn into.

222229[/snapback]

Yes. This "grey goo" is about the potential risk of nanobots with self-replicating ability. Let's take this scenario: You build a nanobot consisting of several parts in order to cure cancer. The several parts are derived directly from the components of the cancerous cell. You think that you have located several membrane proteins that you can use to identify the cell as cancerous. The nanobot should latch onto this protein in order to activate the nanobot. It will then change its conformation to puncture the cell. Then, while still holding this membrane protein, it should decompose particles within the cell for use as components for replicating itself so the cycle could continue again. Since nanobots can degenerate as time progresses, once the cancerous cells have all been destroyed, the nanobots should also become destroyed. This is of course, the best case scenario for this process. Let's say that the engineer designing this nanobot made a minor mistake. Let's say that the cell has a component that looks almost like the necessary nanobot component, but actually changes the conformation so that the nanobot becomes activated automatically. (You think this isn't possible? Think again! Diseases like sickle-cell anemia are caused by only a single amino-acid difference.) In this case, let's say 50% assuming it's a very close isomer. In this case, the nanobot would attempt to puncture any cell it could find and use the normal cell to create the nanobots again. The ones that can replicate using any cell would create many more bots because of the much higher probability to find a normal cell than a cancerous cell in an organism's body (where 50% of the nanomachines will be the problematic bots). All organisms are made up of cells. Thus, these bots would devour the organism alive, and turn them into a grey goo. Sure, some cells will be left over due to their special membrane structure like bones for example... but everything else would be susceptible. If someone comes in contact with even one from the previous host, it could spell big problems since it could begin its cycle again. Also, the immune system won't help... they can't target these particles!

[liauce 0]

yep this sounds much like what I read in prey. This is real scary, but anyway what is the current state of things with such research. Our body is very intricate and there are many things about it that we still do not fully understand, it is extremely dangerous to put things in us that are living, this nanobot could be another virus and since the immune system won't help, we'd be a gonner

[lodd 0]

Like ay other leap in technology, nanotechnology is highly feared by the many who do not understand it and feared most by those who DO understand it. Because when you don't fully understand the technology, you do not appreciate the hours of research and development gone into safety procedures. Not just for the likes of you and me, but especially for those people who are doing the experiments. They don't wanna die yet, do they? So if you're talking about nanobots, we're still a far cry from making our own custom designed biological viruses which means that we're stuck with metal based nanobots. In the end, it means that safety procedures are as simple as a magnet. A magnet can easily immobilize any and all current nanobots and in fact may even be enough to deactivate it.However, like i said, the ones who understand this technology fear it most. They see the huge potential in the near future for example what jsasomerville said. But as we can see, they (and we) are already aware of these dangers, so that many safety precautions are integrated into the develoment process and even some safety procedures are being developed to deal with any possible "accidents".But the future tells the tale, we merely play out the scripts gven to us. We shall see...

[DogEater008 0]

nano technology isn't really a robot.. it just a molecule that you could maniplate or control with something.. .for example of nano technology.. .everyone is most likely using it right now.. All new computer processors are nano technology.... Your CPU is an example of nano technology... But if you're someone like me that is using really old computer (700mhz) it's micro.. not yet nano.. so it's slower a nano meter is 1/1000000000 meter...

[LeAnn Rimes My Angel 0]

Everyone has already explained it here, but as some know, a micron is a millionth of a meter. A nano is a billionth of a meter. Nano-technology is not around YET, but it will be one day guaranteed. The way technology is advancing so quickly, it's just a matter of time. In Star Treck, the actor known as "Data" was always refered to as having micro-technology. Well, they are about 300 years in the future from us. By that time, they will be well beyond micro, nano, and even smaller sizes of technology.

[Unregistered 015 0]

Yes, I've heard about it, but are there any exact examples of use of nanotechnology today?Do you have any links to sites about it? I've read some articles but it is usually just talk and talk, nothing special. Is nanotechology being used today anywhere, anyhow?

[icemarle 0]

One of the most common things I've heard for the application of nanotechnology are those nanobots which can help cure diseases "safely". Since they're supposed to be super small and can enter the body easily, you don't have to worry about bulky machines poking at you... Though I'm beginning to wonder how they'll get the bots out... I think they have a really tiny camera and a remote system, but since they're incredibly small, that must've taken a lot of feat to do. Imagine all the considerations. This is most definitely a big thing to spend on.Of course, there's always the possibility of failure. With those foreign bodies entering your system, who know what consequences may happen. They're still in the learning process, so there's still a lot to learn for them. If they keep this up, the way of living of people might be much better.

[bucksta 0]

Nano has always been my favorite word. Everything is so small... I wish I could own something like a nano guitar and let the roaches try to find it. Nanobots are possible but I don't think the will try taking over anything but all the sci fi shows always show robots trying aking over. But as long as artificial intelegence don't exist we are safe. Anyway, that's a nicee nano explanation.

[delivi 0]

Nano technology has enabled us to get the hitech gadgets into pocket devices. The nano technology will be of great use to the medical people to explore the internals of the humanbody. they can also be used for military putposes. The scope for nano technology is unlimited.

[sinmin 0]

Nanotechnology also give us a change to intersect in the between oh human and technology with information processing.

[SecretSocietyofStoners 0]

well every one i know alot about this subject so its lucky for yas aint it? well i know that at the moment nano technology is impossible because what they need is a replacement for silocon (the stuff in microchips) because silocon can only be made so small before it just burns up and turns to ash when the electricity is put through it so there for they need a replacement that has the exact same signiture of silocon wen put under an electrical current because this signiture is the way all the computers work and run so therefor they think that an organic matter would be the best solution bearing in mind that it can be reduced to ridiculesely small sizes therefor being able to construct a nanobot(which is made up of microscopic microchips which are made from this organic meterial) the size of a becteria etc and yes as other people say these nanobots would be able to be purchased in pills and swalloded but the possibilities are more than just killing cancerous cells these nano bots couls keep a 100% active coverage of your bodies hydration,mood ect therefor keeping a constant watch on your body and being able to travel anywhere in your body via arteries etc and be able to kill any diseises,bacteria etc litterally 1000 times faster than your bodys defence systems and kill them intantly.sounds good dont it? but yes there are bad things that can happen if these nanobots gain or are givin artifical intelligence then they could go against us and form massives swarms and plauge the earth eating all its organic meterial because the are also organic which means they need to feed......and yes artificial intelligence can exist all it needs is enough connections from one point to another and a certain time and it will be able to think for itself and at the rate where goin with technology it should be done in about 20 yrs or who knows if they find an organic meterial matching the signature of silocon the dead set bloody fastand a certain time was ment to be at

[sammaye 0]

They have already decided to investigate carbon as a replacment for silicon as it is organic and can hold tens of millions of transisiters...but I still think nano tech would not be exactly easy to create I almost think that the scale of the job that some scientists believe could be produced...i mean some scientists I have heard are even talking about nano bots having the mind of a human lol!...and these things are meant to be tiny....but anyway I aint looking forward to it even if this grey goo couldnt exist...I jus dont like the sound of what could happen if something did go wrong...