DNA robot takes its first steps

New Scientist ^ | 5/6/04

[Centurion2000]

Fascinating

[Harpo Speaks]

The question is, how will they find pants that small?

[Brett66]

Singularity bump.

[LibWhacker]

Lol!

I'm guessing they won't need them; nanorobots will have nanomodesty. :-)

[LibWhacker]

BTW, Harpo . . . Welcome to FR!

[Harpo Speaks]

Honk!

[freebilly]

The question is, how will they find pants that small?

Forget the pants. I want to see the nano-thongs....

[freebilly]

As long as they don't open a Nano-Hooters....

[festus]

Why do I fear that nothing good will come of this ?

[RightWhale]

Is this a robot?

[freebilly]

Why do I fear that nothing good will come of this ?

Hey, we've already got a nanny state. A nano-state won't do any more damage.

I'm all for nano-government....

[The Duke]

For some reason I've always thought that "nanotechnology" was the biggest scam on the planet. (How convenient that one can work an entire decade and literally have *nothing* to show for it!)

[SauronOfMordor]

There are a number of nanotech-based products. Do a google search for MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical-systems). Or just go to http://www.memsoptical.com/ and look thru their product catalogue

[MonroeDNA]

It's the Devil!

[LibWhacker]

I know from your homepage you are an engineer. I'm not, so I'll defer to you on this . . . But isn't it at least potentially very impressive that they have nano-grippers, nano-rotors and gears, nano-conveyor belts, nano-walkers, nano-memory, nano-circuits and other circuit elements, etc.? Personally, I think it's fascinating and expect soon we'll start seeing lots of nano-devices that will have amazing properties and that will be built up from these components. Where am I going wrong?

[LibWhacker]

Here's a nanotech site I haven't seen mentioned on FR before: Nanopicture of the day.

Description:

New flat screens based on carbon nanotube technology will be longer lasting, more energy efficient and more convenient than current screens. There will also be the opportunity to make them both thinner and flexible.

Carbon nanotubes are arrangements of carbon atoms that are formed into tiny tubes about a millionth of a millimeter in diameter. In screens they work as an intermediary, focussing electrons onto a surface where they react with a fluorescent material to produce light for picture displays. A major challenge for researchers is how to get control of the way they form. In order to use nanotubes for panel displays it is important that the tubes are either aligned or formed into patterns. The bunches of nanotubes shown here are aligned in vertical groups on a star or cross type of pattern.

[The Duke]

I know from your homepage you are an engineer. I'm not, so I'll defer to you on this . . .

Actually, please don't necessarily defer to me on this. I'm still smarting from many years ago predicting that "computer viruses were all just a bunch of hype". :(

However, we in the US have a rich history of hyping technology advances that never live up to their promise, and I must say that before I am an engineer I am a cynic.

[LibWhacker]

However, we in the US have a rich history of hyping technology advances that never live up to their promise . . .

Boy, you're right about that! When I see some of the predictions about the future that have been made in the past, they always seem so naive -- if not so completely wrong, lol.

Here's hoping the promise of nanotech fairs better. If it doesn't, I'm sure something even better and more wonderful will come along. :-)

[William Tell]

The Duke said: "For some reason I've always thought that "nanotechnology" was the biggest scam on the planet. "

I think you are confusing "nanotechnology" with "cold fusion".

Nanotechnology has the potential to make dramatic changes to how some very important things get done in our world.

One example might be in the creation of food. Almost all of the food we eat is created by some other animal or plant. The process by which such food is created is determined by what is useful to that animal or plant and not on what is most useful to humans.

In the future, carbohydrates, proteins, sugars, and fats may be created in giant vats using "nanomachines". Bacteria may be harnessed to provide part of such machines, but the process of making the foodstuffs will be designed to efficiently create "food".

Pharmaceuticals and other useful chemicals can also be created this way.

I have read descriptions of using DNA to accomplish decryption using a massively parallel approach. Computation in general may be furthered by nanotechnology.

Another post describes using nanotubes to create improved video displays. Imagine such a display which might be manufactured using nanomachines. It might not only be inexpensive to create but possible to repair using nanomachines. No more dead pixels.