Some emerging technologies are not just fascinating – they are scary. Imagine thousands of robots so little that noticing them is almost impossible. If this does not chill Your bones, You’re either very brave or don’t understand the situation.
The Sci-Nonfi
The idea of nanorobotics dates back to Richard Feynman’s lecture called “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom: An Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics”, where it was introduced in 1959. Since then, it has been gaining a lot of traction. The concept of nanobots revolves around the idea of having their components so small, they could be effectively measured in nanometers. The size of an entire nanobot should range from 0.1 to 10 micrometers.
The fun part
While the amount of uses for nanobots is seemingly limitless, there are some specific ideas.
We could use them, for example, in medicine, where they would serve as micro-surgeons, helping with cancer and heart diseases. They could also be injected as a means of protecting our organisms and constantly repairing them. It’s worth noting that they are used, to some extent, in today’s medicine.
There is also ongoing research on nanobots that would copy the physical and chemical properties of DNA (not the genetic information). This branch is (simply) called DNA nanorobotics,
The not-so-fun part
The same reasons, which make nanobots so brilliant, create a grave danger for our civilization. They could prove a destructive tool if weaponized. Those nanobots would find a way to the organism, not to monitor or heal it, but destroy it. There is, also, a theory called ‘gray goo’, which revolves around them gaining independence. Not only that; they could harm us by accident. Some nanoparticles contain chemicals that could be harmful to our bodies
sources;
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Nanorobotics – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanorobotics> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
Brown, A., 2022. The Issue Of Ethics In The Development Of Nanotechnology. [online] Nanotechnology News. Available at: <https://www.nanotechetc.com/issue-ethics-development-nanotechnology/> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
Martin, S., 2022. Self-replicating Nanobots could DESTROY all life on Earth, warn experts. [online] Express.co.uk. Available at: <https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/825989/nanotechnology-nanobots-grey-goo-end-of-the-world> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
Moore, S., 2022. An Overview of Nanobots and the Most Recent Developments. [online] AZoNano.com. Available at: <https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5761> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
The concept of creating and operating nanorobots seems both very interesting and frightening. Although I don’t think such advanced technology will appear in the next few years.
Personally, I would see the most significant usage of nanorobots also in medicine. It could be the biggest revolution in the world that we haven’t experienced yet. Tiny robots that can heal or fix us from the inside. Without any surgery or “opening” the human body. Additionally, they could register in various real-time parameters currently unavailable without advanced equipment.
On the other hand, it could be used for an evil purpose, as a weapon, by armies or terrorist organizations. However, what technology of the modern-day could not be used for its own purposes as a weapon… Everything really depends on the intentions of the users of the technology.
To sum up, I am inquisitive when the first prototypes of such devices will be presented to a broader audience. Additionally, it seems that they can bring a lot of good. And the fact that some people may use them for evil purposes is probably a disadvantage of any modern technology…