Keynote for today is Carl Kohrt, CEO of Battelle, the giant research organization that runs three US national labs. He is describing their alliance with Foresight on the Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems, their own (large) Battelle Nanotechnology Innovation Network, how these relate to the Foresight Challenges, and his projections for what’s coming in the… Continue reading Next up: Carl Kohrt, CEO Battelle
The Nanologue project looking at societal aspects of nanotech has been very busy since its launch last spring. See their Mapping Study (and Appendix) and Background Paper (and Appendix), also their presentation at EuroNanoForum. An excerpt from the Mapping Study appendix summary of a RAND report: “Molecular manufacturing and Nanobots: no breakthrough until 2015 but… Continue reading EU-funded Nanologue project has been busy
The fast ramp-up of work in nanobio has led to the formation of another journal: the new Journal of Nanobiotechnology: “Potential topics include molecular bioprobes, nanoparticles and nanobiosystems, nanobiomaterials, biomolecular assemblies and supra-biomolecules, nanobiosensors and nanobiochips, BioNEMS and nano-biofluidics, nanobiophotonics, single-molecule detection and manipulation and molecular motors.” Says Editor-in-Chief Tuan Vo-Dinh of Oak Ridge National… Continue reading New Journal of Nanobiotechnology
Richard Jones asks: “Why does the molecular manufacturing community seem to have many fewer members in the UK than it does in the USA? I don’t think it’s fair to say that the dramatic vision of molecular manufacturing is pursued in a contextual vacuum – I think there is quite a well-developed world view that… Continue reading Nanotech: US ambition, UK pessimism
The Institute of Nanotechnology is sponsoring a nanotech debate at the Surface Science Summer School in the UK. Organized by Philip Moriarty of Univ. of Nottingham, topics to be debated include: Are nanofactories capable of manufacturing virtually anything with little or no environmental impact really just a few decades away, as some groups are claiming?… Continue reading Nanofactories, molecular nanotechnology to be debated in UK
The original 2004 provisional patent application describing the "Freitas process" proposed for building a working carbon dimer placement tool (DCB6Ge) for diamond mechanosynthesis experimentally — apparently the first patent ever filed on diamond mechanosynthesis — is now available online. In February 2005, a full utility patent was filed with the USPTO on this process. Freitas' 2004 Foresight Conference lecture describing a near-term pathway leading directly to diamond mechanosynthesis, which included a summary of this now patent-pending process, is also online here.
Robert A. Freitas Jr. is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing (IMM).
Foresight Senior Associate Tihamer Toth-Fejel, a research engineer at General Dynamics, reports that he was able to locate 43 "nanosystems" studies in the list of NNI funded projects, some of which he reports look "somewhat promising" for molecular manufacturing. Read more to see his choice of the top seven projects funded.
Mihail Roco, Senior NSF Advisor on nanotech, gave a plenary talk at the Nanoethics conference recently. One of his slides was on synthesis and control of nanomachines, and noted that about 300 projects had been funded in 2004. Later he referred me to two websites: the NSE site where he said were listed 50-60 NNI-funded centers focused on 3rd-4th generation nanomachines/nanosystems, and the NNI site where a search on awards would show 300-400 grants with nanomachine or nanosystem in the title or abstract. Read More for the results and request for help.
Very quick summary from the first full day of the University of South Carolina nanoethics conference: many calls for greater and earlier ("upstream") participation by social scientists and ethicists in nanotechnology R&D decisions, repeated evidence of continued confusion between molecular manufacturing and gray goo, much concern about the possibility of human enhancement, a few admissions that ethicists may have a conflict of interest in taking funds from agencies tasked with developing the technology they are questioning. Repeated assertions that the public does not trust scientists — in Europe. Audience mostly academic/gov't social scientists/ethicists with very strong European presence, almost no Asian presence, very few nanoscientists/nanotechnologists. Fun discussions in the hallways; as is so often the case (including at meetings I put together), many of the best parts of the conference take place informally. Some of the most interesting talks will be on Days 2 and 3.–CP
Mike Treder writes "SUMMARY: The popular idea of so-called nanobots, powerful and at risk of running wild, is not part of modern plans for building things ìatom-by-atomî by molecular manufacturing. Studies indicate that most people don't know the difference between molecular manufacturing, nanoscale technology, and nanobots. Confusion about terms, fueled by science fiction, has distorted the truth about advanced nanotechnology. Nanobots are not needed for manufacturing, but continued misunderstanding may hinder research into highly beneficial technologies and discussion of the real dangers.
More…. [Ed. note — well worth reading]…
