Nanofuture: What's Next For Nanotechnology

It has been two decades since Drexler's Engines of Creation launched the beginnings of the nanotech revolution, and it has aged better than any other technical book I've ever read. Since Engines of Creation has not yet been updated, J. Storrs Hall's book Nanofuture: What's Next for Nanotechnology is the book to read to quickly learn why increasing numbers of people are getting excited about nanotechnology. Hall begins the book by addressing the current confusion regarding nanotechnology, explaining how the National Nanotechnology Initiative's budget is being spent on nanoscale science, with almost nothing going to what Hall defines as nanotechnology: atomically precise manufacturing of machines whose parts are built with atomic precision. This means that each atom and bond in the finished part is designed, just as the parts in the machinery are. To deliver on the results that most people expect from nanotechnology, the current NNI research focus--on synthetic chemistry, nanoscale particles, materials science, and even nanoelectronics--is not enough. In clear and easy-to-read prose, Hall explains why, and he explains what needs to be done, and how we've progressed towards that goal. As the former administrator of the sci.nanotech newsgroup, Hall observed or participated in many discussions on nanotech issues in the last two decades. These included everything from the technical problems of molecular self-assembly and self-replication to the methods for preventing catastrophic misuses of advanced molecular manufacturing. He uses this expertise to explain complex technical details, without ignoring the social and economic implications. The biggest difference between Engines of Creation and Nanofutures is that Hall discusses many advances made in the last 20 years, and addresses arguments that were leveled against Engines of Creation. He also puts many applications of nanotechnology in a detailed historical context, connecting them strongly not only with the present, but with the past. While Hall is optimistic about nanotech developments, he often explains the caveats involved. He says things like "If we can do using the primitive molecularly imprecise structures, isn't it reasonable that we'll be able to do much better with atomically precise ones?" He then explains the limits that we may not be able to overcome. For example, molecular manufacturing may enable better superconductors in general, but may not enable nanoscale superconducting wires because there may not be enough room for the molecular processes involved in superconduction to operate. One section of Nanofuture that might be over-optimistic is the section on AI, for the same reason that Engines of Creation was over-optimistic: the predictions are not concerned with new engineering (which generally is predictable) but with new science (in which new discoveries cannot be predicted). In this case, AI may even require new metaphysics. Hall's projections miss the ways in which the nanote

Nanotechnology is one of the few emerging technologies that truly has the potential to significantly alter our future. At this stage it is still at the level of the Wright Brothers first flyer. It's interesting to see what the visionary thinkers are beginning to think will come in the future. It must be understood that while forecasting the future like this book does is easy (although I don't have the specialized knowledge to do it) being right is very, very hard. This is not the way that the future will unfold. But if the past is any forecast of the future, he is too conservative rather than too expansive. The future, particularily in terms of avaiable resources (such as oil) isn't going to be like the past century or so. Nano machines that are the size of human hair don't take many resources. His 100-kilowatt (about 133 hp) engine running on hydrogen weights about 1.5 ounces. That's not much in resources when compared with an engine of equal power. His chapters on the real dangers from nano-war, nano-terrorism, and others are excellent and make it clear that the technology may be different, but we are all still people.

J. Storrs Hall's Nanofuture: What's Next For Nanotechnology explores a diverse set of possibilities for nanotechnology's applications, from flying cars and the elimination of hunger to new smart machines built at the molecular and atomic levels. Dr. Hall himself is a leading research in nanotechnology who invented utility fog and explores the new technology's hopes, potentials, and dangers.

The first industrial revolution spanned all technology introductions from the steam engine to the integrated circuit. Nanotechnology, Nanoscale materials, and infinite energy will create the second industrial revolution. Nanotechnology is predicted too rapidly introduce breakthroughs in computer science, molecular biology, material science, and energy. Today, carbon nanotubes are being manufactured for use in products. A carbon nanotube are stripes of graphite rolled up into a tube. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes allow one tube to slide or rotate within another tube. Today, the best we can do to test a nanomechanical design is simulate it. Image a complete machine shop, factory, and engineering laboratory in a building with ten acres of floorspace. It has every conceivable kind of construction and test equipment, overhead cranes, mobile robots - the works. Recued to the scale of nanomachines, this fits in a 40 - micron square. It would sit comfortably on the cut end of the finest human hair. Your nanoengineering design workstation could have thousands of these facilities built right into the processor. Having specified your design, the workstation could build and test thousands of minor variants in the time it took to press the return key. Fuel Cell Technology, present day fuel cells are about 60 percent efficient and quite heavy. Power mills will represent the far end of the technology curve. Using figures from Drexlers Nanosystems we can estimate that a 100 kilowatt engine, as used by a car or light aircraft, would weight in about 50 grams (1.5 ounces). Nanotechnology will be used to store the hydrogen. The best lithium battery gets a half megajoule per kilogram of weight. Gasoline provides 42 megajoules per kilogram, but only gets 8 percent out of it with an engine, the rest is lost in heat. Hydrogen represents 120 megajoules. So 550 pounds of gasoline fuel would equate to 37 pounds of hydrogen. Nanotech cooling and insultating technology will make storage of the hydrogen be reduced to the size of fuel tank with only 7% of the weight. The gray goo theory trumpets up fears of nanobacteria that will destory the world. Nanosystem is not nanobacteria, so the final doom pictures seems unrealistic. The author demonstrates the unlikely nature of nanotechnology destroying the earth: 1. Nano solar collectors would capture sunlight and convert it to power. The energy would be sent to terrestrial energy collectors. 2. Self replication would use Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Hydrogen removing CO2 from the air too create production material. If the nanomachines existed in higher orbits, cosmic rays would sustain a significant level of damage to ensure survivability. If the nanomachines existed in a lower orbit, rain and C02 depletion would threat self replication survival. The nano system would be a level 5 type, far exceeding any known technology existing today.

For what the book says it will provide I was very impressed. Hall does indeed provide the content in a way that it is readable by people that do not have specilized knowledge in this area, such as myself. I also enjoyed his opinions on the future possibilities involving nanotech, which were presented in a way that you knew they were his opinions, not facts. Overall I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to get a feel of what nanotech is about and where it may be able to take us in the future.