Further thoughts on the economy of abundance and nano-technology
by
Charlie Bess
Back in October, I had a couple of entries about molecular manufacturing and the age of abundance having implications far beyond the capabilities of mass customization.
I've been thinking about the fact that almost the entire semiconductor industry is based on doping silicon to control one property - conductance. This is a huge industry that adds a great deal of value to our lives.
Nano-technology researchers are in the process of determining the type and number of properties that can be controlled (e.g., strength, hardness, light generation, conductivity, bonding, element impersonation). One thing is for sure -- it is more than one.
Some applications will provide relatively low hanging benefits like in the area of sensors. It is feasible to "sniff" out molecules at the capabilities close to that of a dog's nose today. These can be tuned to identify specific molecules and then mass produced and applied to sniffing out disease, hazardous material and a wide range of sensing applications.
Every month, popular magazines like Wired and Popular Science document numerous new and interesting applications, based on property manipulation using nano-technology. Granted not all of them will pan out, but just the fact that there are so many will lead to an interesting future.
