Nanotechnology
By: Edward • Essay • 634 Words • December 19, 2009 • 1,882 Views
Essay title: Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the creation of functional materials, devices and systems through control of matter at the scale of 1-100 nanometers, and the exploitation of novel properties and phenomena at the same scale; nanotechnology is also called molecular manufacturing. Nanotechnology is a result of the combination of different scientific fields such as physics, biology, engineering chemistry, and computer science in addition to many more. The foundation of nanotechnology is that atoms make up all things in our world; which can be manipulated to produce almost anything.
Nanotechnology, as it is understood today, was introduced by a man named Eric Drexler. He presented his ideas in a paper he had written in Prof. Feynman's class, on molecular engineering, which was later published in 1981; in 1987 Engines of Creation was published where he expanded the themes of his first book. Drexler received a doctorate degree from MIT in the field of nanotechnology in 1991, under the supervision of Marvin Minsky, the world-renowned artificial intelligence pioneer. In 1981 the invention of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope, by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer, and the Atomic Force Microscope five years later, made it possible to not only take pictures of individual atoms, but to actually move a single atom around.
Having a 100 percent breakthrough in nanotechnology would make it possible for scientists to cure diseases, stop the aging process, clone human beings, as well as many other extraordinary things. Some of the practical applications of nanotechnology today are to fabricate smaller faster computer chips for more efficient computers, mobile phones, or navigation systems. Nanotechnology also brought about the quantum dot laser, which enables faster communication. Nanotechnology could be utilized by today's society in countless ways and will revolutionize our lives. The advances in medicine would be mind-boggling. Tiny robots could detect diseases when they've just barely begun to form, repair injuries more completely than ever before, and even body parts with new ones. Microscopic cameras and other recording devices would change the intelligence and security industry by enabling them to watch and monitor like never before. We would have the luxury of carrying around huge amounts of