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In this essay, the subject of nanotechnology will be clarified for the reader. An explanation will be given, along with a list of benefits and detriments that this field will bring. The problems facing nanotechnology will also be mentioned. Nanotechnology is a little known science, that deals with building things out of atoms and molecules. This is similar to how nature works, building things at the molecular level to create organisms, fuel, and other things. The idea first came about in 1959, when Richard Feynman, a physicist, stated in a lecture that: "The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of manoeuvring things atom by atom." Feynman went on to win the 1965 Nobel Prize in physics. The word nanotechnology was most likely coined by Eric Drexler, in the early 1980's, in his book, Engines of Creation, in which he outlines the ideas and concepts of nanotechnology. The word means, literally, very small technology. While this may refer to the physical size of what is being done, the implications of this science are incredible. It is nearly impossible to compare the magnitude of this to any other technology, because it would mean that we would have complete control over matter. We would have the ability to create anything that we could precisely define. Although at the moment we are far away from achieving the total utopia that nanotechnology would bring, we are close to seeing the first practical applications of this emerging field. One of the leading figures in this field, Ralph Merkle, a researcher at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Centre, feels that within the next 20 years, with the right funding and influence, nanotechnology could be making it's first public appearances. Merkle believes that nanotechnology can be "the cornerstone of future technology"(in Nanotech: Engines of Hyperbole? by Charles Platt). Some of Merkle's statements on today's capability to manipulate atoms are rather humourous, and are worth mentioning here. In a hypertext document on the Internet, Merkle stated that today's manufacturing abilities are like trying to put LEGO blocks together wearing boxing gloves. Things can be done, but without a great deal of precision. Merkle feels that nanotechnology will allow us to drop the gloves. The two concepts necessary for nanotechnology are self-replication and positional control. These could both come from something called a universal assembler. Ralph Merkle and Eric Drexler are busy designing one such device. This universal assembler would be a sub-microscopic arm with various control devices. Following a sequence of programmed instructions, it would move molecules and atoms around to build three-dimensionally precise structures.
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