Nanotechnology example essay topic

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 Binning 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 information; thousands of music albums and movies-on tiny devices that fit in our pocket. Nanotechnology will totally change our lives. We " ll expect much more from the products we buy-expect, for example, a wrench we buy at the hardware store will be 100 times as strong as steel. Our concept of size will change drastically; the devices we use today will seem large and clunky. With nanotechnology, we " ll expect the devices we use every day to be tiny, light, and very efficient.

If scientists are able to actually make molecular sized machines, we would no longer have resource problems of any kind. Oil, food, wood, and any other raw materials could be broken down at the molecular level and be converted into any other raw material. While the positive aspect of nanotechnology is great, there are still negatives of the technology. Some scientists fear that in the wrong hand this technology would be catastrophic. Scientists fear the development of molecular sized bombs and weapons, and as a result there has been an ethical code of strict guidelines set forth by the institutions that are working on this technology.

Nanotechnology can change everything from the food we eat to the car we travel in. In the future money will be worthless, oil will be worth nothing and huge technology manufacturing countries will be out of business. We never know what the outcome of nanotechnology will bring, nor in the future do we know its advantages and disadvantages. Hopefully it will make our lives easier and less complex.