Word Count: 448 - Read Time: 2.2 minutesNanotechnology ResearchIn May 2003, The House of Representatives allocated $2.36 billion by majority vote over three years to funding research in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology research is the science of manipulating or arranging individual atoms which create new materials or products. We see atom manipulation when farmers turn large regions of the desert floor into thriving orange groves. Or steel which becomes liquid before forming a cross beam in a skyscraper, but these processes are on a large scale and the methods are crude at the molecular level. Technology is becoming smaller, faster and thinking for itself.Nanotech firms have already introduced wrinkle & stain-resistant fabrics; or food packaging that keeps produce and meat fresh longer. But now the medical nanotechnology research funding is available to build microscopic computers that can fight cancer in a specific area of the human body or preventing gum disease and tooth decay. In 1959, Richard Feynman was the first scientist to suggest that materials could someday be fabricated to atomic specifications. This was actually 4 years earlier then the commercial invention of the first 36-bit computer developed by Digital Equipment Corporation in about 1963. Who knew that this marriage of technology would hold such great prospects for the future of medicine? In the near future, mini computers with surgical precision will be capable of travel through the body, functioning as mobile pharmacies, dispensing doses of drugs to damaged cells. DNA repair machines will repair or replace damaged or miscoded sections of chromosomes. Other nano technology robots will be capable of purging accumulated debris and restore cells to their youthful vitality. Nanorobots will make it possible to re-engineer the human body, including improvements to the existing natural biological systems along with additional systems and capabilities not found in nature. So, how big are these things anyway and how do they work? Three microns is about the maximum size for blood borne nanorobots due to the capillary passage requirements. This is approximately the width of one human hair. It may become possible to inject a fleet of nanorobots into the system at which point they could be capable of self replication or positioned for assisted assembly. Together physician and robot would work at the given task of clean up or repairing cells and tissue. Additionally, products such as tooth paste, deodorant and shampoo will be implanted with nanorobots to assist in daily clean-up tasks such as removing plaque from teeth or oil from hair. Finally, no actual working nanorobots have yet been built. Some say it's the work of dreamers, but then they said that before going to the moon too. Many nano technology products designs have been proposed, but these preliminary designs which could change significantly after research, development and testing has been completed.
Information Resources:
Forbes
Foresight Institute
New York University
Science Daily
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