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Old 10-21-2008, 03:08 AM   #75
Five-hole
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Well the gray-goo scenario really has nothing to do with the production of nano-devices. I read an article in SciAm (I think) about a process being worked on to produce what is effectively nano-circuits. It was a while back and I'm a musician so I'll spare you my vague recollections.

In any case I was surprised to learn that nanotechnology has much more to do with the decreasing of size of "microtechnology" (I guess) and much less to do with the science-fiction portrayal of it, which are sort of nano-robots.

One particularly cool idea I came across was a mutable, centrally-controlled "nano-goo". Billions of nano "blocks" would take assembly commands from some kind of computer and assemble themselves into superstructures large enough to be physically significant to humans. This would enable things such as re-configurable furniture, houses, cars, clothes, and so forth. The nano-blocks would be able to create structures with different colors, textures, and so forth.

Medical nano-technology is another of that sci-fi style. A horde of nano drones is injected into someone's bloodstream as a new kind of antibody or a cancer-fighting "strike force" or to repair damaged tissue or help relieve clogged arteries or who knows what. Medical nano-robots could potentially repair damage to systems that are currently unable to be healed, such as hearing loss.

Of course this is all very pie-in-the-sky style futurism. Neat though! Sorry I don't have anything useful to contribute to actual nanotechnology, though.
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