For those who dont know Nanotechnology comprises technological developments on the nanometer(nm) scale, usually 0.1 to 100 nm (1/1,000 µm, or 1/1,000,000 mm) thats about ten thousand times smaller than the width of a hair.

It is often used in Healthcare, Telecommunications and Information technology...and has its benefits, but does it has limits?...limits beyond our control?...are the benefits more important than its risks?...



What do you guys think?

I think the benefits are greater than its risks and thats why the Nanotechnology is one of the top research priorities of the U.S. government.

Nanotechnology is expected to have an impact on nearly every industry. The U.S. National Science Foundation has predicted that the global market for nanotechnologies will reach $1 trillion or more within 20 years. The research community is actively pursuing hundreds of applications in nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, and bionanotechnology. Most near term (1-5 years) applications of nanotechnology are in the form of nanomaterials. These include materials such as lighter and stronger nanocomposites, antibacterial nanoparticles, and nanostructured catalysts. Nanodevices and nanoelectronics are farther off, perhaps 5-15 years, and will have applications in medical treatments and diagnostics, faster computers, and in sensors.

yeah but that technology can fall in the wrong hands too, it can be used in war...

Well first...this is a MAJOR SUBJECT...we are talking about the future itself here!
But they have to be carefull with this thing, you guys can read something about it here:

http://crnano.org/dangers.htm

For the near-term, critics of nanotechnology point to the potential toxicity of new classes of nanosubstances that could adversely affect the stability of cell membranes or disturb the immune system when inhaled, digested or absorbed through the skin. Objective risk assessment can profit from the bulk of experience with long-known microscopic materials like carbon soot or asbestos fibres. Nanoparticles in the environment could potentially accumulate in the food chain.

An often cited worst-case scenario is "grey goo", a hypothetical substance into which the surface of the earth might be transformed by self-replicating nanobots running amok. This concept has been analyzed by Freitas in "Some Limits to Global Ecophagy by Biovorous Nanoreplicators, with Public Policy Recommendations"

Societal risks from the use of nanotechnology have also been raised, such as hypothetical nanotech weapons (e.g., a nanomachine that consumed the rubber in tires would quickly disable many vehicles), and in the creation of undetectable surveillance capabilities.

Full article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology

That is the problem right now. Kind of like asbestos.

The cartoon superheroes were frustrated. They confronted a menacing robot that quickly repaired any damage they inflicted. It was made up of a swarm of microscopic robots - so-called nanobots - that could change its function and shape at will. Suddenly the swarm became fluid and flowed away.

That cartoon scenario may seem entertaining. But the reality is startling. Engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration want to pull off a similar trick. They are testing a robot that they hope to shrink to nanobot size and eventually form what NASA calls "autonomous nanotechnology swarms" (ANTS). The researchers aim to give ANTS enough artificial intelligence to make smart decisions as well as know intuitively when and how to walk and swarm.

NASA invites you to consider the versatility of a nanobot swarm that has "abundant flexibility" to change shape as needed.

Complete Article at:http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0407/p14s01-stct.html

i read the full article...wow can you imagine?...im really looking foward to that kind of tech...its almost like science fiction movies...really cool dude!

Hey look at this article i found, is this true?...i that the limitless power of nanotechnology???:

11,000 Cleancut Nanobots

Designed by (Eleven)
Forget 5 o'clock shadow. The 11,000 Cleancut Nanobots are so tiny you can't see or feel them. But as you go about your daily routine, they'll scour your face for signs of whiskers and cut them off. Here's how it works. The first time you let the nanobots loose, they create a 3-D map of your face and send it to the computer. You outline on the computer where the nanobots should and shouldn't shave. You can even try out different styles before setting the microscopically tiny robots in motion.

When you want to give the nanobots a rest, you wipe your face with an electrically charged cloth designed to collect them. When you want to release them again, push a button on the cloth to switch the electrical charge and off they go. The advantages? The nanobots do all the work, there's no 5 o'clock shadow, no nicks, no chafing, and no need for shaving cream.

But like I said, toxicity is a problem....

^They could presumably percolate the skin through the pores aswell as the obvious of being inhaled, I suppose.

Well, technology will find a way.

Probably wouldn't be an issue if we use Nucleic Nanotechnology (machines based off our own DNA)

is that even posible?

Never heard of it...there are still a lot of things that can go wrong.

yup nanotech is in babys steps right now, anything can happen

Yup, they've even built a walking DNA robot

New Scientist

A microscopic biped with legs just 10 nanometres long and fashioned from fragments of DNA has taken its first steps.

Like nearly all technology, it could be used for good or "evil". The benefits will, IMO, outweigh the risks. I love the shaving bots, no more missing sections that I find later in the day.

i reckon this century is going to be highly influenced by nanotechnology. Most diseases will be cured because of it, spacetravel will benefit from it. Almost every field will benifit from nanotechnology.
But it will also cause new super weapons used in wars. Hopefully the benifits will outweigh the neg