Technology Convergence

We've written before about India's President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He is a highly trained scientist who also leads a globally important nation and, as such, is in a class of one. His views should be of great interest.

Recently, Kalam gave a speech about "Convergence of Technologies." We quote here from the text, published by the Government of India Press Information Bureau:

The information technology and communication technology have already converged leading to Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Information Technology combined with bio-technology has led to bio-informatics. Now, Nanotechnology is knocking at our doors. It is the field of the future that will replace microelectronics and many fields with tremendous application potential in the areas of medicine, electronics and material science. When Nanotechnology and ICT meet, integrated silicon electronics, photonics are born and it can be said that material convergence will happen. With material convergence and biotechnology linked, a new science called Intelligent Bioscience will be born which would lead to a disease free, happy and more intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human capabilities.

Convergence of bio-nano-info technologies can lead to the development of nano robots. Nano robots when they are injected into a patient, my expert friends say, will diagnose and deliver the treatment exclusively in the affected area and then the nano robot gets digested as it is a DNA based product. Convergence of ICT, aerospace and nanotechnologies will emerge and revolutionize the aerospace industry. This technological convergence will enable building of cost effective low weight, high payload, and highly reliable aerospace systems, which can be used for inter-planetary transportation.

This is quite remarkable to have a person of Kalam's stature openly speaking about "a disease free, happy and more intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human capabilities" -- not to mention bloodstream "nano robots" along with "inter-planetary transportation." It might not be a stretch to describe Kalam as the first transhumanist world leader.

More from Kalam on nanotech:

When I think of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, I would like to discuss about three scientists who have laid the foundation on nanoscience and nanotechnology. Mr. Richard Feynman, who described the concept of "building machines" atom by atom in his talk at Caltech titled 'There is plenty of room at the bottom'. Mr. Eric Drexler, who wrote the book titled Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing and Computation. Professor C.N.R. Rao, who pioneered and fostered the nanoscience research in India. Molecular nanotechnology has enormous potential for future aerospace systems and health areas.

That leaves little doubt about where he expects this technology to lead. We encourage you to read the whole speech. It is wide-ranging and thought-provoking. We're certainly glad to see such issues being brought forward.

Mike Treder

Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog

Comments

[Jan-Willem Bats]

I can't believe it man. It finally happened.

I think this is pretty big.

So....... India's got a science-savvy president?

Any chance of that happening in the states anytime soon? :)

[Chris Phoenix, CRN]

I see something else worth noticing in his speech. He goes deep into the science. Not just technology, but _science_ - the kind of thing where you have to have special studies even to understand the words.

"Both single wall CNTs and multi wall CNTs have been used as electrodes, as electron acceptor, which can split exciton into electrons and holes to produce electricity."

I'm not extremely surprised that he knows words like "exciton." But I am surprised that he would include this explanation in a speech. I wouldn't expect any US president, no matter how advanced his personal knowledge, to talk about how excitons are part of the workings of solar cells.

Does this imply that Kalam's *audience* knows what excitons are? Not just the audience physically present at his speech, but the broader Indian audience?

Chris

[Tom Craver]

Probably not - but it might inspire the media to explain the ideas, expanding public understanding. So long as the leader uses terms accurately and isn't seen as mindlessly parroting something, it's a very good thing to do.