NANOTECHNOLOGY: Peak Into The Basement

This discussion of Nanotechnology was first presented by Mr. Laurence Schultz at UTD, The University of Texas at Dallas, on August 2, 2005.  Because Nanotechnology is a new buzz word that is little understood by the general public, we have made this overview available on the web.  You can share your comments and questions with Mr. Schultz by email at:  l.schultz@cmpengineer.com

This talk discusses nanotechnology and why we should be interested.

The emerging science of nanotechnology is exciting in its projected capabilities and has a chance of changing all of our lives for the better. It has even been compared to the Industrial Revolution, when civilization moved from human and animal labor to machine labor, eliminating some mundane tasks and making life better (at least in developed nations).

Nanotechnology gives us the opportunity to evolve from just learning to manipulate the physical properties of bulk materials, to the actual creation of materials with the bulk properties that we desire. It can be approached from the top-down by subdividing bulk materials until the nano realm is reached, or it can be approached from the bottom-up: placing atoms or molecules in position, one-by-one, to achieve the desired bulk material.

This talk examines what nanotechnology is, how it works, and why. It also gives some insight into how it is being used in varied disciplines, what's being done now, and what to expect in the future. Although the facts are presented at the "twenty-thousand foot" view, it is hoped that the reader's interest will be piqued, leading to digging deeper into their area of interest.

Newton's third law says: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."  For all of the wondrous marvels that nanotechnology promises, there are also potential problems. Some of these are reviewed in this talk as well.

Joe McCain has described nanotechnology as a train. We can choose to ignore it and be run over by it, or as I prefer, we can ride that train and see where it takes us, rather than have someone else dictate its direction for us.

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