1 Nanotechnology and Meaning Ralph C. Merkle

2 Seventh Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology October , 1999 Santa Clara, CA

3 Three historical trends in manufacturing More flexible More precise Less expensive

4 Approaching the limit: nanotechnology Fabricate most structures consistent with physical law Get essentially every atom in the right place Inexpensive manufacturing costs (~10-50 cents/kilogram)

5 Coal Sand Diamonds Computer chips It matters how atoms are arranged

6 Today’s manufacturing methods move atoms in great thundering statistical herds Casting Grinding Mixing Lithography …..

7 A modern manufacturing facility

8 Possible arrangements of atoms. What we can make today (not to scale)

9 The goal: a healthy bite..

10 Two more fundamental ideas Self replication for low cost Positional assembly of molecular parts

11 Von Neumann's universal constructorabout 500,000 Internet worm (Robert Morris, Jr., 1988)500,000 Mycoplasma capricolum1,600,000 E. Coli9,278,442 Drexler's assembler100,000,000 Human6,400,000,000 NASA Lunar Manufacturing Facilityover 100,000,000,000 Complexity of self replicating systems (bits)

12 Self replication can be very low cost Potatoes, lumber, wheat and other agricultural products are often roughly a dollar per kilogram. Nanotechnology will let us make almost any product for about a dollar per kilogram, independent of complexity. (Design costs, licensing costs, etc. not included)

13 Positional assembly of molecular parts is new Self assembly: stir together molecular parts that spontaneously self assemble into desired structures. Positional assembly: put molecular parts exactly where we want them, vastly increasing the range of molecular structures we can make.

14 Moving molecules with an SPM Gimzewski, IBM Zurich

15 A proposal for a molecular positional device

16 Classical uncertainty σ:RMS positional error k: restoring force k b : Boltzmann’s constant T:temperature

17 A numerical example of classical uncertainty σ:0.02 nm (0.2 Å) k: 10 N/m k b : 1.38 x J/K T:300 K

18 If we can make whatever we want what do we want to make?

19 Diamond Physical Properties PropertyDiamond’s valueComments Chemical reactivityExtremely low Hardness (kg/mm2)9000CBN: 4500 SiC: 4000 Thermal conductivity (W/cm-K)20Ag: 4.3 Cu: 4.0 Tensile strength (pascals)3.5 x 10 9 (natural)10 11 (theoretical) Compressive strength (pascals)10 11 (natural)5 x (theoretical) Band gap (ev)5.5Si: 1.1 GaAs: 1.4 Resistivity (W-cm)10 16 (natural) Density (gm/cm3)3.51 Thermal Expansion Coeff (K-1)0.8 x 10-6SiO 2 : 0.5 x 10-6 Refractive 590 nmGlass: Coeff. of Friction0.05 (dry)Teflon: 0.05 Source: Crystallume

20 A hydrocarbon bearing (theoretical)

21 A bearing made of H, C, N, O, and S. The shaft has 17 fold symmetry, the sleeve 23

22 Memory probe

23 Neon pump

24 A planetary gear

25 Fine motion controller

26 Drexler’s assembler

27 Core molecular manufacturing capabilities Today Products Overview of the development of nanotechnology

28 The impact of nanotechnology depends on what’s being made Computers, memory, displays Space Exploration Medicine Military Energy, Transportation, etc.

29 Displays Molecular machines smaller than a wavelength of light will let us build holographic displays that reconstruct the entire wave front of a light wave It will be like looking through a window into another world Covering walls, ceilings and floor would immerse us in another reality

30 Computer generated reality Vast computational power will be needed to model a 3-D “reality” in real time and generate the full optical wavefront (ten trillion samples per square meter every 10 milliseconds) Nanotechnology will give us vast computational power

31 Powerful computers In the future we’ll pack more computing power into a sugar cube than the sum total of all the computer power that exists in the world today We’ll be able to store more than bits in the same volume Or more than a billion Pentiums operating in parallel Powerful enough to run Windows 2015

32 Easier methods? Optic nerve –has ~1,000,000 nerves –can carry only a few megabytes/sec Human brain –10 13 to operations/sec A sugar cube computer –over operations/sec

33 Easier alternatives Track eye location, generate only that portion of the wavefront actually seen (which is also low power) Directly stimulate the retina Directly stimulate the optic nerves (involves implantable nanodevices)

34 Swallowing the surgeon...it would be interesting in surgery if you could swallow the surgeon. You put the mechanical surgeon inside the blood vessel and it goes into the heart and “looks” around.... Other small machines might be permananetly incorporated in the body to assist some inadequately-functioning organ. Richard P. Feynman, 1959 Nobel Prize for Physics, 1965

35 Mitochondrion 20 nm scale bar Ribosome Molecular computer (4-bit) + peripherals Molecular bearing

36 “Typical” cell Mitochondrion Molecular computer + peripherals

37 Medical nanodevice power and signal Oxygen/glucose fuel cells can be scaled to molecular size and provide electric power, producing H 2 O and C0 2 Megahertz acoustic signals are safe and can transmit data to devices that are tens of nanometers in size

38 Nerve cell Acoustically activated nanodevice (large) Resting potential: ~-0.65 volts membrane

39 An alternative to displays Direct stimulation of human nerve cells via nanodevices will be feasible High-bandwidth externally derived input, augmenting or replacing ordinary input from the eye, ear, nose, skin, etc. Safe for long term use if desired

40 Nanomedicine Volume I A comprehensive survey of medical applications of nanotechnology Extensive technical analysis Volumes II, III and popular book planned Author: Robert Freitas

41 Types of medical treatment Surgery: intelligent guidance, crude tools Drugs: no intelligence, molecular precision Medical nanodevices: intelligent guidance, molecular precision

42 A revolution in medicine Today, loss of cell function results in cellular deterioration: function must be preserved With medical nanodevices, passive structures can be repaired. Cell function can be restored provided cell structure can be inferred: structure must be preserved

43 Cryonics 37 º C -196 º C (77 Kelvins) Freeze Restore to health Time Temperature (many decades)

44 Would you rather join: The control group? (no action required) or The experimental group? (see for info)

45 National Nanotechnology Initiative Interagency (NSF, NASA, NIST, NIH, DOD,.... See Favorable congressional hearings Government funding expected to double Academic interest increasing Private funding increasing (existing companies, startups such as Zyvex)

46 There is a growing sense in the scientific and technical community that we are about to enter a golden new era. Richard Smalley science/smalley_ htm

47 Nanotechnology offers... possibilities for health, wealth, and capabilities beyond most past imaginings. K. Eric Drexler

48 How long? The scientifically correct answer is I don’t know Trends in computer hardware suggest the 2010 to 2020 time frame Of course, how long it takes depends on what we do

49 The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay