nanotech

Exceptional technology is something that must be taken in, and scrutinized with unwavering eyes. We have seen the rise and fall of many “would be” technologies and to name a few would be a new topic all on its own. But beyond the misconceptions and assumptions surrounding the latest advancements in NanoTechnology from the IBM laboratories. IBM scientists have come across a way to turn on and off atoms inadvertently, creating the basis for what could lead to faster and smaller computer chips (The Binary language used for computers in One and Zero’s hence the on and off). NanoTechnology is not so much a technology as it is a field of technology, exercising its strength in the control of matter at its core, at the molecular level. With the design of its tools imagined and implemented at this level, scientists and doctors alike would work miracles.

“Exceptional technology is something that must be taken in, and scrutinized with unwavering eyes.”

It’s in this breakthrough that you must suspend some disbelief of the possibilities. Where once we were captured by the awesome size of 6MB hard drives, we have now grown to freely and carelessly carry around 2GB thumb drives in our pockets. The heart of this exploration is not limited to just storage but it is what’s oiling the gears in that venture. Other possible technologies are still now only in theory, but let me present you a few that you might find of interest.

Remember the Movie entitled The Matrix, where robots one day rebelled and started building other robots, well lets take that example and build on it. Researchers have theorized on building nano sized robots to build even smaller robots with the intent of surveillance, and yes our own US government has taken much interest in the technology for use in spying and other surveillance missions. So just imagine cameras and microphones so small that someone passing by may just bump in to you, releasing a host of nano-cameras and surveillance equipment. And all of this just for the means of tracking all your activities and whereabouts. Now that’s just one example of the faults this technology could implicate on our privacy, but there are many eventual goods NanoTechnology can provide us with.

One of the positive aspects of NanoTechnology is the popular cell regeneration process, which you may have seen in one of the X-Men movies. In the X-Men movies there is a certain character named Wolverine, which is not much on his own, but what really gives him an edge over the others is his remarkable ability to heal from almost any injury. Now let’s just say that one day in the near future you were seriously injured, and the human-based form of surgery hadn’t evolved to the point of nerve surgical replacement. Now what if you had the option of nano-surgery, where nano-robots would be released into your blood stream and at the microscopic-scale surgically fix the injury? Well, that is one of the possibilities that NanoTechnology has to offer, absolute wonders in medical achievements.

Aside from just medical uses, N.A.S.A. is also working on prototype thrusters that will enable them to reach further out in to space. The case was made further significant when their Deep Space 1 project launched successfully using EP or electro propulsion. The goal for this new direction in propulsion systems is to obtain the means for further exploration. Actually, to correct myself, further ‘manned’ explorations, to expel the fears of fueling and energy conservation that modern astronauts face. Increasing payloads and reducing mass at launch, allowing for more efficient send-offs, and all of this simply due to the usage of NanoTechnology.

It’s certainly an exciting field, filled with many new horizons not yet reached or seen. Although I’ve made some mentions of the pros and cons of this technology, it can only truly be weighed once the technology has been realized and incorporated into our lives. The fear of the “IF’s” should not consume us, but rather fuel us regarding this path. NanoTechnology will remain old and new as scientists explore its limits to provide us with hope for the future. I stated in the beginning that all exceptional technology is something that must be taken in and scrutinized with unwavering eyes, and with this it couldn’t be much more true.