It provides merit criteria and metrics for research today. When selecting between proposals, look for atomic precision. Look for size, range of materials, other criteria that we'll probably hear about later in the talk.
The Roadmap looks toward advanced manufacturing (what physics says should be possible), but focuses on accessible productive nanosystems (such as ribosome-like systems).
Near-term, there are several kinds of atomically precise things we can build. One is biopolymers: protein, DNA.
New topic: Advances in production technology. Type 1 advances build better products. In Type 2, the products include improvements to the production system, which can enable further improvements. So we really want better productive machines that can build better productive machines... This appears to be an argument for using nanosystems as the means of production of nanosystems.
Today, tools build tools build tools... traceable back to blacksmithing. The tool that extruded your breakfast bagel is a leaf on this tree. The advanced APM tree has a "Mark II Ribosome" low on the trunk, and "Macroscale APM" high on the trunk, with "Dollar-per-kilogram fab" among the leaves. People tend to assume that things high in the tree are proposals for next year, "which would be absurd."
The Roadmap talks about cross-linked organic structures. An idea that arose pretty late is mixed covalent-ionic bonding. Titanium dioxide, quartz. This may be closer than what's been looked at more closely.
The role of roadmapping: Developing the knowledge and confidence necessary for coordinated system development. So the Productive Nanosystems roadmap should show what's necessary, when, how to coordinate and schedule developments. Avoid chicken-and-egg problems that lead to slow incremental progress.
DNA currently costs dollars per milligram. There's no point in thinking about kilogram-scale structures... but there's a researcher who has an idea for making DNA at dollars per kilogram... but why should he do it when there's no market for kilograms of DNA? This is a real example: it seems that DNA might actually get vastly cheaper.
Showing posts with label drexler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drexler. Show all posts
October 09, 2007
Eric Drexler on the Productive Nanosystems TechnologyRoadmap
May 15, 2007
Engines of Creation predictions are not fanciful
An updated version of Engines of Creation is online
The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN), has an article that points out that the term "molecular nanotechnology" has been associated almost invariably with fantastic notions
like bloodstream nanobots, true universal assemblers (“meat machines”), and theoretically ubiquitous “utility fog.” Such concepts admittedly are fascinating to consider and someday may become reality, but they seem to be further in the future than are the middle-period developments that concern CRN.
I believe those who think of those things as fantastic notions are not aware of developments using current technology that are bringing them about.
From New Scientist, diodes could power bloodstream microbots
A new form of propulsion that could allow microrobots to explore human bodies has been discovered. Velev's diodes are millimetre-sized but any robot designed to work within the human body would have to be an order of magnitude smaller. In the past, attempts to shrink propulsive mechanisms have run up against a fundamental barrier in fluid dynamics: fluids become progressively more viscous on smaller scales. "It's like moving through honey," says Velev. But extrapolations of the team's measurements indicate the propulsive force will work just as well at smaller scales. "The propulsive force scales in exactly the same way as the drag. That's quite significant," says McKinley.
The first surgical microbot could be ready by 2009
A capsule insertable robot has been made in Japan
Nanoparticles have been used as drug delivery systems. They are more crude than the nanobot vision but they can be remotely guided to the tumor and then triggered from the outside to release material. So they are simple machines.
Similarly mini-bacteria cells are performing similar functions
Cellular repair is becoming possible as well. Magnetically assembled nanotube tips are being added to devices that can inject or remove organelles from cells
These things are not as capable as the Chromallocyte recently designed by Robert Freitas but it shows that such things are clearly not fanciful.
Meat Factories can be made using stem cells. There is existing work with test tube meat.
Step towards utility fog are being made by Intel with work on claytronics
Current claytronics components which are planned to be shrunk to about one millimeter
Projecting rapid manufacturing capabilities from current rapid prototyping, rapid manufacturing and fabbing could be not that far from the Engines of creation view of universal assemblers.
Combining the ovonic quantum control device with PRAM and other polymer components could enable more fabbable all flat (reel to reel) printing of computers and solar power cells.
Lasers, combined with metamaterials, nanoparticles and superlens could enable additive rapid manufacturing with 2 nanometer precision.
Non-molecular nanotechnology (microelectronics), pre-molecular nanotechnology (nanoparticles, nanomaterials), DNA nanotechnology, synthetic biology, graphene, fullerene nanotechnology, advanced chemistry, robotics, rapid manufacturing are making possible what was believed would require molecular nanotechnology. When full-blown diamondoid arrives what will actually be possible will be confounding to those who have not been paying attention or who are in denial.
We only will need molecular nanotechnology because we are not being creative enough with what we can already do or on the way to doing very soon. If we were not flushing money on the Shuttle and the Iraq War we could have mastery of space. If we were not confused about nuclear power we could have clean energy.
February 09, 2007
Engines of Creation 2.0 available Free
Engines of Creation 2.0: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology - Updated and Expanded is available for free at wowio.com
It has a new look and feel and includes updated information from Eric Drexler. It also includes the Drexler / Smalley debates and comments on the debate.
January 21, 2007
First surgical microbot 2009
From Wired.com, An international team of scientists is developing what they say will be the world's first microrobot -- as wide as two human hairs -- that can swim through the arteries and digestive system.
The scientists are designing the 250-micron device to transmit images and deliver microscopic payloads to parts of the body outside the reach of existing catheter technology.
It will also perform minimally invasive microsurgeries, said James Friend of the Micro/Nanophysics Research Laboratory at Australia's Monash University, who leads the team. The researchers hope the device will reduce the risks normally associated with delicate surgical procedures.
While others have tried and failed to create microrobots for arterial travel, Friend believes his team will succeed because they are the first to exploit piezoelectric materials -- crystals that create an electric charge when mechanically stressed -- in their micromotor design.
Israeli scientists announced last October that they were developing a microrobot that could travel through the spinal canal.
Going into the arteries is a much more challenging proposition.
"The spinal canal is a little bit bigger, and there isn't the high flow that you have in the bloodstream, so the power that you need for the propulsion is smaller," said Shoham.
These are examples of how the vision of nanomedicine and nanobots is not unreasonable. Those who ridicule molecular nanotechnology and nanobots at this point do not know what is happening and what has happened with technology. It also shows that the examples of what molecular nanotechnology would be able to provide that were made over 20 years ago need to be updated. Engines of Creation is online as is Unbounding the Future and Eric Drexlers current website. Those illustrations were conservative based upon trying to be absolutely certain that the prediction was possible.
Reviewing the list of feasible products of molecular nanotechnology:
- medical devices able to destroy pathogens and repair tissues
See above. 250 micron robots for the bloodstream soon.
- desktop computers with a billion processors
Intel has made a prototype 80 core chip
1000 processors for under 100,000 in 2007/2008
Molecular manufacturing will still make more powerful computers but it should be something that leverages more optical communication and processing and energy and heat efficient large scale three dimensional processing.
- materials 100 times stronger than steel
carbon nanotube Superthread and the recent carbon nanotube honeycomb are here and being commercialized.
Molecular nanotechnology would bring the costs down and make even more designer materials like maybe room temperature superconductors.
- inexpensive, efficient solar energy systems
There is various advances in thin film solar
And solar cell efficiency getting to 45% and maybe higher
However, this is an area that needs for more cost reduction (which molecular nanotechnology would provide) along with the best efficiencies.
- superior military systems
See my essay on military application of molecular nanotechnology
- additional molecular manufacturing systems
January 02, 2007
Open to public brainstorming on software control of matter
The EPSRC Ideas Factory has opened up a public blog to accept ideas for software control of matter
Chris Phoenix has contributed Silica-nucleating proteins (e.g. silicatein) might be used to make silica structures. Chris points out mechanosynthesis of [molecularly precise] structures is much broader than diamondoid or Drexler, and blends into approaches that don’t even require covalent chemistry.
Robert freitas contributed his ideas on diamond mechanosynthesis
December 15, 2006
Better investing magazine confuses molecular nanotechnology with NNI nanotechnology
An example of popular media where molecular nanotechnology and the NNI definition of nanotechnology are intermingled is Better Investing magazine. They have an article about nanotechnology today and tomorrow. It is a two page article which first starts by referencing the Engines of Creation book and Eric Drexler and then goes to mention the National Nanotechnology Initiatives definition of things from 1 to 100 nanometers in size. It then talks about large companies working on things with small dimensions in different industries.
Then they have a chart of technologies that were here in 2004 being labeled as nanotechnology, 2008 and 2012 and beyond. The 2008 and 2012 lists are pretty much hot developing or developed technologies named. Micro-fuel cells, OLED displays, quantum computers etc...
This is a clear example of something that Eric Drexler has said. Those in the development of current nanotechnologh businesses intentionally create the confusion that they want to associate with the popular meme impact of molecular nanotechnology and then divert from that promise with current products with some nanoscale dimensions. Eric Drexler and molecular nanotechnology get used as bait before switching to something else similarly named.
I think often times it is just that some people cannot be bothered to look at or understand the differences. I do not think the baiting and switching is that horrible except when it is combined with the insults and bad mouthing of molecular nanotechnology. Look this is pretty but it is impossible and science fantasy and those people are crazy and trying to scare your children, why don't you try these nanoparticles I can deliver it to you next week. Another bothersome thing is as the nanoscale field advances and the various things start to converge the current developers are still saying but this work which has similar results to what was being talked about is different. We have molecular precision and control but it is with DNA, RNA, proteins and small molecules. Drexlerian molecular technology was talking about diamondoid. All the early papers involving proteins, DNA and RNA from Drexler and the Foresight institute? I am going to ignore them because it is convenient for me and helps build my case that my stuff is important and your stuff is not.
nanotechnology
molecular nanotechnology
NNI
eric drexler
drexlerian
nanotechnology confusion
nanotechnology controversy
December 04, 2006
Eric Drexler comments on first NNI report on Molecular Manufacturing
From Eric Drexler's website (e-drexler.com), is Eric's comment on the first report from the National Academies Molecular Manufacturing. (pdf through link)
I had previously commented in Sept, 2006 about the release of the NNI report
Eric Drexler's Comment on the report
In its conclusion, the committee notes that it is difficult to analyze complex systems intended to build intricate, atomically precise, large-scale products, stating that “the eventually attainable range of chemical reaction cycles, error rates, speed of operation, and thermodynamic efficiencies of such bottom-up manufacturing systems cannot be reliably predicted at this time”, and that “the eventually attainable perfection and complexity of manufactured products, while they can be calculated in theory, cannot be predicted with confidence.”
To advance research from theoretical models to concrete accomplishments, the committee calls for “defining and focusing on basic experimental steps that are critical to advancing long-term goals” and for funding "experimental demonstrations that link to abstract models and guide long-term vision”.
This report, prepared in response to a congressional request, represents the first open, high-level, science-based evaluation of the concept of molecular manufacturing. Not surprisingly, this first evaluation led to the first recommendation that research be supported. For a decade or more, researchers eager to pursue this work have faced a closed door. That door now seems to be opening.
Hopefully the door is opening but the funds are still scarce for site-specific chemistry/molecular manufacturing.
The $3 million brainstorming project from the UK for the Software Control of Matter at the Atomic or Molecular Scale is one of the few funded projects.
Leaders in molecular manufacturing research such as Robert Freitas have trouble raising funds for their nanofactory collaboration work
The good news is that there is progress in protein engineering, DNA nanotechnology, synthetic biology, molecular manipulation tools and computing power. The advancing wave of technological improvement is making it easier and cheaper to work towards molecular manufacturing. It is just the actual targeted work which still has difficulty getting funding. It is similar to anti-aging research where most of the money must be raised for some other disease related benefit even if it might also treat or research the sources of aging.
molecular manufacturing
molecular nanotechnology
site-specific chemistry
NNI
National Nanotechnology Initiative
November 06, 2006
New or newly available online from Eric Drexler
Newly available online pdf, for Eric Drexlers 1995 perspective on the Ultimate limits of fabrication
A 2006 article for a primer on productive nanosystems
Eric Drexler's site has some more links. One of the links to a pdf on fundamental issues in design and modeling of Integrated nanosystems is having errors. It may get fixed when you try it.
September 06, 2006
Protein pathway to molecular nanotechnology
Jonathan Pugh asked about the protein pathway and how the recent breakthrough to apply variational analysis to allow for the calculation of protein folding a billion times simpler could advance molecular nanotechnology.
One of Eric Drexler earliest papers discussed using proteins for molecular nanotechnology.
A major milestone would be to make a version 2.0 of a ribosome
A ribosome can be thought of as a factory that builds a protein from a set of genetic instructions. A ribosome has 2.3 million base pairs.
This article points to surveys of DNA and protein related technologies that could lead to molecular nanotechnology
Freitas and Merkle has details on various approaches to positional assembly using Proteins
This was mentioned in an early post on this site
June 13, 2006
New paper posted at Eric Drexler's site
The paper is Robust Composition: Towards a Unified Approach to Access Control and Concurrency Control by MS Miller.
Drexler description of the paper and its significance:
Describes how to structure object-oriented programming to enable software components to work together without mutual interference—a way to escape from fragile thread-based concurrency and the threat of viruses, and a way to enable safe use of potentially malicious software components written by un-trusted or unknown parties. A must-read document for anyone attempting to build a reliable, user-friendly, programmer-friendly, cooperation-enabling, virus-proof computing infrastructure: that is to say, large-scale software systems that can tolerate errors and enemies and actually work.
The paper is by Mark Samuel Miller
June 09, 2006
MEMS and nanoscale medicine report
Note: this report follows the Josh Wolfe/Lux Capital/NNI approach of redefining a term used to describe future technology to claim that something is already here and making a lot of money. About 7 years ago, Lux Capital and then National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI was announced Jan, 2000 redefined nanotechnology from how it was used for 15 years. Advanced nanoscale medicine is starting by putting drugs into nanoscale containers and directing them to the site of cancer tumors. Nanomedicine as has been established as using molecular nanotechnology for the purposes of medicine
Market report on current and projected micromedicine (MEMS) and nanoscale medicine $1bn exists for these technologies, predominantly in MEMS (microelectromechanical systems), but steady growth is building toward hundred-fold larger markets by 2015, with nanoscale tech applications contributing a lion's share.
Currently established MEMS applications include pacemakers, glucose monitoring, biochips (genechips), OTC tests, insulin pumps, nebulizers, needleless injectors, hearing aids, activity monitors, blood pressure, medical flow sensors, and drug delivery systems.
In nanoscale medicine, current applications include cancer chemotherapy, a new generation of drug delivery systems, wound dressings that exploit the antimicrobial properties of nanocrystalline silver, and others.
March 03, 2006
Molecular Nanotechnology and nanofactory references
The places to start are crnano.org, foresight,
e-drexler.org,
molecularassembler.com, zyvex inc and this site
The diamondoid pathway is described by Robert Freitas
walking molecules,
protein based nano-actuators
more physics new
other state of the art Molecular Manipulation for Mechanosynthesis (Experimental)
[put together by Robert Freitas]
Wilson Ho, Hyojune Lee, "Single bond formation and characterization with a scanning tunneling microscope," Science 286(26 November 1999):1719-1722;
Saw-Wai Hla, Karl-Heinz Rieder, "STM control of chemical reactions: single-molecule synthesis," Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 54(2003):307-330.
Silicon/Germanium Mechanosynthesis Tools (Experimental)
R.S. Becker, J.A. Golovchenko, B.S. Swartzentruber, "Atomic-scale surface modifications using a tunneling microscope," Nature 325(1987):419-421.
In-Whan Lyo, Phaedon Avouris, "Field-induced nanometer- to atomic-scale manipulation of silicon surfaces with the STM," Science 253(12 July 1991):173-176.
M. Aono, A. Kobayashi, F. Grey, H. Uchida, D.H. Huang, "Tip-sample interactions in the scanning tunneling microscope for atomic-scale structure fabrication," J. Appl. Phys. 32(1993):1470-1477.
C.T. Salling, M.G. Lagally, "Fabrication of atomic-scale structures on Si(001) surfaces," Science 265(22 July 1994):502-506.
Dehuan Huang, Hironaga Uchida, Masakazu Aono, "Deposition and subsequent removal of single Si atoms on the Si(111)-7x7 surface by a scanning tunneling microscope," J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 12(July/August 1994):2429-2433.
P. Avouris, "Manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular levels," Acc. Chem. Res. 28(1995):95-102.
G. Meyer, K.H. Rieder, "Controlled manipulation of single atoms and small molecules with the scanning tunneling microscope," Surf. Sci. 377-9(1997):1087-1093.
Noriaki Oyabu, Oscar Custance, Insook Yi, Yasuhiro Sugawara, Seizo Morita1, "Mechanical vertical manipulation of selected single atoms by soft nanoindentation using near contact atomic force microscopy," Phys. Rev. Lett. 90(2 May 2003):176102;
The work of Ralph Merkle, Robert Freitas, Eric Drexler, Chris Phoenix, Ned Seeman, J Stoors Hall, Zyvex Corp, Nantero, Nanosys Inc, MIT and others should be followed.
Design of a Primitive Nanofactory, Chris Phoenix, 2003
March 02, 2006
The Past, now and soon versus better and longer term
there is an interesting article at a longevity site.
It discusses what happened with Drexler and MNT.
The attacks on Drexler - and on advanced nanomedicine at one point -
were really quite beyond the pale. It was all a part of short-termist
posturing on the part of certain pigs scrabbling at the government
trough; pretty despicable stuff. Do prominent advocates for radical
life extension have this sort of thing to look forward to in the
future?
An analogous scenario for scientific anti-aging research would be if
the moderates prosper - say that metabolic tinkering, an outgrowth of
calorie restriction research, expands into a large industry with the
real promise of 10 or 20-year healthy life extension. The industry
spawned by these moderates, bolstered by publicity and public
enthusiasm, then starts after major government funding ... but they
decide that they need those darned advocates for radical life
extension technologies - far beyond 10 or 20 year increases - to go
away and stop scaring the fishes.
I think that a similar situation happened and continues to happen with space and many other technologies. The chemical rocket industry gained some success and potentially far superior approaches got shunted aside or receive little support. Watch now how the screwed up Space shuttle programs sucks the money out of all space research.
Nuclear fusion research got success in raising money for magnetic confinement. They get no commercially useful results, but they block others from getting any serious support.
Sometimes it is momentum and infrastructure issues: oil industry versus alternative energy.
We see it with nanotechnology. Carbon nanotubes, nanoscale tech, nanomaterials tries to block the consideration of advanced nanotech.
Some of the ways around this are
- going outlaw garage tech until enough momentum can be gained. (Apple computer versus IBM).
- X-programs for airplanes.
- Large funded Prizes.
What else can or should be done?
Is there a better model for society to follow to best advance
technology? Is there a way to get support and mindshare?
October 06, 2005
Eric Drexler's new design for a carbon transfer tool
Eric Drexler has posted his new design for a carbon transfer tool.
Eric Drexler is of course the originator of key concepts and seminal works in molecular manafacturing. He originated advanced nanotechnology in Engines of Creation and Nanosystems.
He introduces a novel carbon-transfer tool design(named “DC10c”), the first predicted to exhibit key properties in combination.
The abstract is as follows:
Mechanosynthesis of a target class of graphene-, nanotube-, and diamond-like structures will require molecular tools capable of transferring carbon moieties to structures that have binding energies in the range of 1.105 to 1.181 aJper atom (159 to 170 kcal mol−1). Desirable properties for tools include exoergic transfer of moieties to these structures; good geometrical exposure of moieties; and structural, electronic, and positional stability. We introduce a novel carbon-transfer tool design (named by us “DC10c”), the first predicted to exhibit these properties in combination. The DC10c tool is a stiff hydrocarbon structure that binds carbon dimers through strained sigma-bonds. On dimer removal, diradical generation at the dimer-binding sites is avoided by means of pi-delocalization across the binding face of the empty form, creating a strained aromatic ring. Transfer of carbon dimers to each of the structures in the target class is exoergic by a mean energy >0.261 aJper
dimer (>38 kcal mol−1); this is compatible with transfer-failure rates of ∼10−24 per operation at 300 K. We present a B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) study of the geometry and energetics of DC10c, together with discussion of its anticipated reliability in mechanosynthetic applications.
Keywords: Quantum Chemistry, Mechanosynthesis, Graphene, Graphite, Diamond, Nanotube,
Productive Nanosystems, Molecular Manufacturing, Nanotechnology.
Some background:
Some chemistry definitions are here
Long and medium goals in nanotechnology presentation by Ralph Merkle
Theoretical analysis of a carbon-carbon dimer placement tool for diamond mechanosynthesis by Ralph Merkle and Robert Freitas
Hydrogen abstraction tool analysis by Ralph Merkle
Comprehensive molecular assembler reference by Ralph Merkle and Robert Freitas
Other papers by Ralph Merkle
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