"Nanotechnology will let us build computers that are incredibly powerful. We'll have more power in the volume of a sugar cube than exists in the entire world today"
Ralph Merkle
Oh boy! Here is a turn around. When I was younger, my mentors and sages told me to "think big". Now the wise people of today are saying "think small, think very, very small". Part of our future rests in the small, the tiny, items measured in atoms rather than inches or feet.
What am I talking about? Nanotechnology. One of the things I find interesting about nanotechnology is it's wide variety of potential applications. The use for this technology are as wide and varied as our imagination. I recently read an article where nanotechnology will be used to create small robots that can be injected in the blood stream and fix damaged DNA in individual cells. Right now, this crazy talk is nothing more than science fiction. In twenty years, should this technology keep developing as projected, it could be science fact.
This is hard to write because there are so many amazing possibilities. For example, in Sweden research is ongoing using small particles loaded with medicine that could be used as a treatment for some cancers. These nanoparticles could be used to carry cancer drugs directly to cells within a tumor. A plus to this technology is the tracability of the particles, which can be seen in MRI images. Again, this actual research going on to develop a life saving product.
According to Scientific American, here is the near term future of nanotechnology:
By 2015, products incorporating nanotech will contribute approximately $1 trillion to the global economy. About two million workers will be employed in nanotech industries, and three times that many will have supporting jobs.
And that is just the beginning. The "race to the bottom" will continue in our innovations. We have made our cell phones into mini-computers and Moore's Law is going to allow us to stick more stuff into less real estate. We have external hard drives on the market that hold three terabytes of data. That is more than the Library of Congress contains. For computer storage, 14" disks have given way to 5" disks, which have given way to 3" disks, which have given way to memory sticks. Within ten years, we could have a memory stick that can hold terabytes of information. Everything you would ever want to, or need to know, would be on a memory stick that fits on your key chain.
Medicine, space, manufacturing, computing will all change with nanotechnology. Our brave new world will change at a pace which will leave most of us dizzy. 3D printing is already being replaced by 4D printing. How fast is that? Most have never even heard of 3D printing. Young people coming out of technical schools who choose nanotechnology will probably never have to look for a job again. How is the future? As far as we have come to date, there is still much, much more room at the bottom...
This is hard to write because there are so many amazing possibilities. For example, in Sweden research is ongoing using small particles loaded with medicine that could be used as a treatment for some cancers. These nanoparticles could be used to carry cancer drugs directly to cells within a tumor. A plus to this technology is the tracability of the particles, which can be seen in MRI images. Again, this actual research going on to develop a life saving product.
According to Scientific American, here is the near term future of nanotechnology:
By 2015, products incorporating nanotech will contribute approximately $1 trillion to the global economy. About two million workers will be employed in nanotech industries, and three times that many will have supporting jobs.
And that is just the beginning. The "race to the bottom" will continue in our innovations. We have made our cell phones into mini-computers and Moore's Law is going to allow us to stick more stuff into less real estate. We have external hard drives on the market that hold three terabytes of data. That is more than the Library of Congress contains. For computer storage, 14" disks have given way to 5" disks, which have given way to 3" disks, which have given way to memory sticks. Within ten years, we could have a memory stick that can hold terabytes of information. Everything you would ever want to, or need to know, would be on a memory stick that fits on your key chain.
Medicine, space, manufacturing, computing will all change with nanotechnology. Our brave new world will change at a pace which will leave most of us dizzy. 3D printing is already being replaced by 4D printing. How fast is that? Most have never even heard of 3D printing. Young people coming out of technical schools who choose nanotechnology will probably never have to look for a job again. How is the future? As far as we have come to date, there is still much, much more room at the bottom...
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