Avi Blizovsky
Nuclear submarines wandering through the bloodstream and shooting tumors with a laser, self-replicating nanometer robots escaping from a laboratory and turning the earth into a gray goo - these are all the stuff of cheap science fiction books. The physics of this scale can tell us that tiny motors, for example, simply won't work the way we thought.
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Since 1803, when John Dalton convinced the world of the existence of the atom, scientists have sought to find ways to apply the discovery. Nanotechnology, which makes it possible to manipulate molecules several millionths of a millimeter in diameter, paves the way for these long-awaited applications. Working on a scale a million times smaller than the head of a pin allows scientists to "tune" the properties of the material, make objects behave differently than usual - and break new ground.
Nature has been using nanotechnology for its needs for a long time, and with great expertise. The incredibly fine hairs on the chameleon's legs, for example, allow it to cling to walls and even hang, upside down, on a glass panel. If we learn from nature we can build smaller, lighter, stronger and more efficient systems - and produce them at a cheaper price. "Nanotechnology is not a technology in itself" says Professor Mark Walland, who heads the Laboratory for Nanoscience at the University of Cambridge. "This is an auxiliary technology, which is applied in many products. Its applications can be seen in flash memories and computer chips, and soon we will also see it in paints and sensors as well as in the world of medicine."
The technology will change the performance of polymers, paints, batteries, sensors, fuel cells, solar cells, computers and displays. In five years, batteries with a lifespan of only three days will be seen as ridiculous, says Professor Walland. In ten years, today's medical tests will look very cumbersome, and the forecast according to which in five years the iPod's storage volume will be ten times larger is extremely conservative, according to him. In the not too distant future, it will be possible to store a TB of data - the equivalent of ten hours of high quality video without any compression - on a chip the size of a postage stamp.
The nano devices are currently built atom by atom, but it is impractical to mass produce them using this method - says Professor John Ryan, who heads the Center for Bio-Nano-Technology at the University of Oxford. According to him, "one of the main challenges in the coming years will be to understand the relevant biological principles and apply them in the production of nano devices".
the concerns
Proponents of nanotechnology claim that misconceptions and misrepresentations regarding the potential of nanotechnology have fueled dire scenarios, many of which cannot occur at all. The Royal Society and the Royal Academy in Great Britain examined whether it is necessary to implement new control measures on nanotechnology, and in the report they prepared some of the unrealistic scenarios were invited. However, it was determined that there is a need to institute regulation to address the actual threats.
"The most well-known threat, of the machines that replicate themselves - the sticky and gray substance (grey goo) - is very far from reality" says Professor Walland. According to him, "the design of relatively simple nano machines is still very complex, and today it is not even possible to start talking about the design of machines that are capable of replicating themselves." Eric Drexler, known as the 'Father of Nanotechnology', also disavowed the scenario of the sticky, gray substance, which he had sketched in the past.
The concerns about the sticky and green substance (green goo) - nano-sized biological particles that replicate themselves, penetrate the human body and cause unexpected things - are exaggerated according to Professor Walland and Professor Ryan. There is indeed a fear that nanoparticles will end up in the bloodstream and brain as a result of their inhalation, but it is not clear if this poses a health risk. "City centers are already breathing many nano particles, for example those emitted from diesel engines" - says Professor Walland.
The benefits
Nano technology will make it possible to produce textiles whose color changes electronically. In this way, it will be possible to equip the soldiers on the battlefield with uniforms that change color in response to ultraviolet radiation - without having to take off their existing uniforms and replace them with others. However, the main advantages of nanotechnology are found precisely in the medical applications - says Professor Ryan: "Nano medicine allows for earlier and more accurate diagnosis, and more efficient delivery of drugs to precise targets in the body." We can also see flexible implants with tiny electrodes as a replacement for various organs.
The giants of the industry, such as General Electric, are already investing large sums in the development of nanotechnology. "The big breakthrough is expected in the development of new materials" says Troy Kirkpatrick from the Global Development Center of General Electric. These are, among other things, corrosion-resistant paints for hydro-electric turbines and nano-technological water filters. General Electric is also researching nano-ceramics, with which they hope to produce extremely light and strong materials.
Either way, these are very innovative processes, which naturally raise many concerns. "The medical sensors make it possible to monitor the patients 24 hours a day, but if someone penetrates the data, medical confidentiality will be compromised," says Professor Walland. That is why the institution must establish appropriate regulation, without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. And also, he adds, "it must be ensured that everyone can benefit from the benefits of nanotechnology - and not just the residents of developed countries."
Nanotechnology - also in communication
In the not-too-distant future, your cell phones as well as television sets will display much clearer, sharper and higher-quality images than those that appear today - thanks to tiny antennas, several thousand times smaller than the thickness of a human hair that are currently being developed. They are considered one of the flagship products of a new industry that will be based on research in the innovative science of nanotechnology.
Research on this topic has already been done by Prof. Bart Kosko from the University of Southern California who specializes in nanotransistors and nanoantennas. He presented the capabilities of this technological idea in an article he sent to the "Nano Letters" journal of the American Chemical Society - the largest scientific organization in the world.
The tiny antennas are made of carbon nanotubes (when you say "nano" you mean products whose size is measured in billionths of a meter). It turned out that these antennas also dramatically increase the processing of electrical signals. The development in this field should revolutionarily improve the quality of the electronic devices we use.
Quite a few electronic components based on nanotechnology have already been developed, including logic gates for computers and diodes in the field of displays.
When asked what his range is for the term future - he said that it is five years from now "and maybe ten, no more".
The developers will have to overcome some unsolved technical problems such as noise and the reception of unwanted signals by the antennas. However, they will be able to receive electrical signals that are getting weaker. Prof. Kosko said that impressive results have already been achieved in his laboratory in experiments with the tiny antennas.
Other futuristic applications that nanotubes will have: increasing the speed of information transmission at the nodes of the Internet network and even building artificial nerve cells to improve nerve sensation and movement due to damage to the nerves of the limbs.
They know nano technology
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