Intermediate and long term objectives
in nanotechnology
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center
This is an abstract
for a talk to be given at the
Fifth
Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology.
This talk is based upon an article available at:
http://nano.xerox.com/nanotech/hydroCarbonMetabolism.html
An HTML version of the slides for this talk is available at:
http://nano.xerox.com/nanotech/talks/nano5/index.html
The basic long term objective of molecular nanotechnology is
now widely accepted: we should be able to develop a manufacturing
technology able to inexpensively fabricate most products which
can be specified with molecular precision and which are
consistent with physical law. As the direct development of such a
capability using our present technology appears challenging, and
as it seems likely that any developmental pathway will require
substantial resources, it is essential that the nanotechnology
community as a whole develop a greater consensus about both the
nature and value of the long term objective, and the kind of
intermediate objectives that should be pursued to achieve that
long term objective.
*Corresponding Address:
Ralph C. Merkle, Xerox PARC, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA
94304, Phone: 650-812-4422, Fax: 650-812-4471, E-mail: [email protected]
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