Responsible Nanotechnology

State of Global Emergency

Last week, I received an invitation from the Foundation For the Future to participate in a special meeting called "Crossroads for Planet Earth":

Human population, extreme and widespread poverty, biodiversity, energy and environment, public health, world economies, global priorities -- in so many arenas, humanity has reached a crossroads where decisions of monumental consequence will be made, either proactively or by default.

There were nine of us, described as "experts in these fields...plus additional voices from the USA and abroad," who made presentations, and we were joined in discussion by the principals of the foundation.

Based on what we shared with each other, it's clear that we are in a state of global emergency regarding the potential for rapid and disastrous climate change. This may not be news for most of our readers, but the statistical evidence I saw at this event was highly alarming.

During my presentation on "Nanotechnology: Driving Toward a Crisis," I emphasized the opportunity for exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing to enable intervention in the rapid deterioration of global climate stability. Of course, I also had to point out that the same technology that will provide many potential benefits also could be misused and could cause great harm.

Although the other participants in this event had some previous knowledge of nanotech, nearly all told me that they were not aware until now of the urgency and importance of preparing to make responsible use of advanced nanotechnology.

Mike Treder

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Drexler on Physics and Computation

Eric Drexler's website, e-drexler.com, has been updated with two new papers written by Drexler and published in scientific journals:

Productive nanosystems: the physics of molecular fabrication [PDF, 0.6 MB]
(in Physics Education)

Fabrication techniques are the foundation of physical technology, and are thus of fundamental interest. Physical principles indicate that nanoscale systems will be able to fabricate a wide range of structures, operating with high productivity and precise molecular control. Advanced systems of this kind will require intermediate generations of system development, but their components can be designed and modelled today.

Toward Integrated Nanosystems: Fundamental issues in design and modeling [PDF, 2.2 MB]
(in Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience)

Computational design, modeling, and simulation can play a leading role in the development of functional nanosystems. Computational methods can describe with useful accuracy a broad range of components that have not yet been realized; hence they can in many instances be used to guide experimental in fruitful directions. Further, computational methods can be used to design multiple components that will fit together to make a functional system. This means of coordinating experimental efforts can enable the development of components that gain value from their integration with other components.

Scientific and design-oriented applications of computational methods are fundamentally distinct. Although they frequently describe similar physical systems and use similar methods, science, and design address problems that exhibit an inverse relationship between abstract descriptions (theories, designs) and physical systems (specimens, products). This distinction has broad consequences for methodology and for judging the adequacy of computational models. The distinction between the classical protein-folding problem (a scientific challenge) and the inverse folding problem (a design challenge) provides a concrete illustration.

Among functional nanosystems, those that perform fabrication have a special role because they can enable the production of other systems. Ribosomes are a widely exploited example. Computational design and simulation can aid in identifying strategic objectives on paths from current laboratory capabilities through successive generations of artificial productive nanosystems. This objective highlights the value of further developing methods for the design, modeling, and simulation of self-assembly and of self-assembled systems.

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Nanoscale Assembly Line Control

There's been an interesting discussion over at nanodot about nanoscale assembly lines, as shown in the nanofactory animation (download page) (streaming animation from Google).

The question is: Given that the animation doesn't show power or control, but only motion, how can a nanoscale production line be powered, and how can its activity be controlled?

A user known only as "anonimouse," who says he's experienced in nanoscale work, asks how we can know what we're building, and whether it is being built correctly. I would have continued the discussion over there, but three days after posting my last comment, it is still "awaiting moderation." So I'll continue it here.

In addition to his more general questions, anonimouse proposes the problem of "eutactic sensory blight." Water, he says, is a useful medium for transmitting information about a workpiece, and a eutactic system can't sense enough about its activites to control them successfully.

Anonimouse says, "Not only can I not see what I’m doing at a 1-10 nm scale, I can’t even see what I’ve done. If I look at it with an electron microscope, I change it. Sure, I can look at a few conveniently-presented outer surfaces with an AFM or STM, but I can’t see below the surface, and I can’t see features that are hidden by other features." I'm not yet clear on whether s/he is worried about development of new techniques, or operating those techniques in a nanofactory, or both. S/he talks about the lack of an "evolutionary feedback loop" but also talks about the need to deal with production lines breaking.

To develop new techniques, we have some very powerful techniques that are not available to evolution. One is computer simulation. Yes, it's imperfect, but it can still be quite helpful, showing us what's probably happening even in the interior of a molecular construct. Another powerful technique is field ion microscopy, which can pull apart a sample atom by atom and report the 3D positions and isotopes of the atoms.

Once a technique is developed and incorporated in an assembly line, there are lots of sensing opportunities. Keep in mind that fabrication will be additive, so every atom (or at least, every small molecular fragment) will have been newly deposited on an accessible surface at some point. Sensing shouldn't have to be too detailed: Did the deposition work, or not? Is the bump where it should be, or somewhere else?

If anonimouse will visit us over here, we will be glad to continue the discussion. We are talking from rather different mindsets, so we may miscommunicate and miss each other's points at first. But this kind of discussion is very valuable to the molecular manufacturing community, as we work from high-level theory (scaling laws, existence proofs, lower bound calculations) to system architecture.

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

CRN goes to New Jersey and Seattle

Earlier this week, Chris went to the New Jersey Institute of Technology to give a couple of talks on molecular manufacturing. Then, at the last minute, Mike was invited to participate in a Foundation For the Future conference in Seattle.

With both of us busy traveling and speaking, we didn't update the blog. Regularly scheduled programming will resume today.

Mike isn't back yet, but Chris is happy to report that his talks were well received, and a number of the faculty expressed interest in his message, both the technical aspects and the implications.

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Most Endangered Wonders

Newsweek has an interesting article about the Seven Most Endangered Wonders of the World. Here is one example they cite:

Great Wall, China

The oldest parts of China’s most famous landmark were built in the fifth century B.C., but the 14th-century Ming dynasty really strengthened it. Today nearly two thirds of the 6,352 km wall has been destroyed by erosion, crass commercialism (one 500-year-old tower contains a drinks stand) and unchecked development. With the 2008 Olympics looming, China is more interested in progress than preservation.

One wonders what wonders will withstand a world widely renewed by molecular manufacturing.

Mike Treder

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Crossroads for Planet Earth

As part of their ongoing Humanity 3000 series, the Foundation For the Future is convening a special workshop called "Crossroads for Planet Earth" this week in Bellevue, Washington (USA).

Human population, extreme and widespread poverty, biodiversity, energy and environment, public health, world economies, global priorities -- in so many arenas, humanity has reached a crossroads where decisions of monumental consequence will be made, either proactively or by default.

"The mandate we’ve given ourselves is not how do we get to an idealized future," said Bob Citron, Executive Director of the Foundation, "but rather, what do the best minds of our current generation see as probable pathways for humanity in the long-term future?"

CRN Executive Director Mike Treder has been invited to attend and will make a presentation at this workshop.

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Nanotech Consumer Products

When I participated in an international gathering in Switzerland to assess a "risk governance strategy for nanotechnology," our group generally agreed on "the need for an inclusive, globally focused, risk governance framework addressing both short and long-term applications of nanotechnology."

Developing a risk governance framework for long-term applications of nanotechnology will not be an easy process. The fact is that with molecular manufacturing (MM) we don't have enough information to even begin constructing a framework. More urgent now is to study the technology, determine how powerful it will be and how soon it might arrive, and perform a thorough analysis of implications.

The Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems, being developed by the Battelle research organization and the Foresight Nanotech Institute, is an important step toward understanding the technical aspects of MM. CRN's Global Task Force is currently leading the effort to learn about MM's potential impacts.

But back to the short-term. According to this story:

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has taken its research into nanotechnology for consumer products a stage further, by launching a database of the most recent launches on the market. The inventory currently holds a total of 212 products. . .

In related news, Agra-Net.com has announced a conference on:

Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture, the first conference to focus specifically on potential applications of nanotechnology in food and agriculture. . .

Opponents of nanotechnology are voicing concerns, which are reminiscent of the global biotechnology debate. [This conference] will look at the calls already being made for regulation, and give you the chance to hear the views of government agencies who have direct influence in this area. If food and agribusiness companies act now to address these concerns, they can reduce the chances of punitive legislation which may restrict future growth.

Yes, companies (and governments and NGOs) should be acting now to address concerns about short-term risks of nanoscale technologies -- and they should get involved in, or at least support, projects to develop effective risk governance for molecular manufacturing.

Mike Treder

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Phoenix in New Jersey

This Wednesday, April 5, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm, at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), CRN's Chris Phoenix will conduct a two-hour public seminar on "Nanotechnology: Its Promises and Perils."

Here's the abstract:

Molecular manufacturing will produce a broad set of ethical and policy challenges. A common thread among them is that increasingly powerful technology conveys increasing power to select desired outcomes. In medical ethics, for example, minimizing suffering may become a function of engineering rather than ethical tradeoffs, while maximizing well-being becomes an increasingly complex set of ethical problems.

Medical ethics is largely personal, but interpersonal and transpersonal domains face additional kinds of ethical problems. Economics, politics, human rights, security, and environmental issues will involve increasingly explicit, even stark implications. Some choices may be disastrous for some stakeholders. Some policies, such as those leading to unstable arms races, may even be disastrous for all stakeholders -- but may nonetheless be pursued deliberately.

The expected power of molecular manufacturing, combined with the possibility of surprisingly near-term and rapid development, argues strongly for proactive research into its potential and implications. Simple or hasty attempts at resolving the issues and implications are likely to make things worse -- perhaps catastrophically so. The technology's immense potential for benefit may only be realized if a number of pitfalls are analyzed and avoided. This seminar is aimed at understanding and encouraging that process.

This even is open to the public. For those in the New York / New Jersey area, NJIT is located in downtown Newark and is easily accessible by car or by public transportation. NJIT's Campus Center Atrium and Ballroom is the specific location.

We hope to see you there!

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Trends in (Nano)Medicine

In this month's CRN science essay, Chris Phoenix writes:

I just returned from a Future Medical Forum conference where I spoke on the nanotechnology panel. Other speakers covered topics such as device design, regulation, setting prices for products, future trends in medical research, and more. Much of what I heard confirmed ideas I've had about where medicine could go once it was enabled by molecular manufacturing—but it seems that some things are happening already. A number of these trends will disrupt the medical industry. Thus, molecular manufacturing should reinforce the direction medicine is going—but that direction will not always be comfortable for medical companies. . . MORE HERE

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Nanotechnology Disproved!!!

In a shocking development, researchers at the International Nanotechnology Effects and Productivity Team (INEPT) today announced that recent experiments prove beyond a doubt that matter cannot be manipulated at the nanometer scale.

Dr. Tom Theumdeun, leader of INEPT's research team, said, "See, those darn atoms are just too small. There's no way anyone could ever do anything practical with them. It's like trying to make things out of LEGO blocks with boxing gloves on your hands."

Scientists at IBM admitted that the famous "logo" they claimed to have "made" out of "atoms" was really nothing more than a nice drawing done by Heather Johansen, an 8th grade art student and daughter of IBM's director of marketing.

"This changes everything," said a chagrined Mike Treder, executive director at the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. "We might as well disband the organization, because apparently the future won't see much change at all. It looks like business as usual. No need to worry, folks."

When a reporter asked whether it meant anything that this startling announcement came out on April 1, Theumdeun, Treder, and Johansen all gave the same answer, "Don't be a fool."