BIRD-DOGGIN'THE INTERNET

Think Small! Nanotechnology Comes of Age

By Dr. Steve O'Neil, Micro Mo Electronics, Inc.

Although Nanotechnology as a defined discipline has only been around for a decade, it has had a lively and checkered journey. While the fascination of assembly of devices and processes at the atomic level draws respected academics and corporations, it also carries along with it pseudo-philosophers, dreamers, and the occasional being wearing the tinfoil hat to keep aliens from skiving his or her unique and revolutionary applications. President Clinton's Y2K State of the Union speech has helped move nano-aspirations dramatically forward by promising the one thing this technology has been desperately short of in the past: money. In this case, he proposed an 84% increase to a total government investment of $497 million for such projects as "molecular computers the size of a teardrop with the power of today's fastest supercomputers." No wonder Nanotechnology and the realm of science fiction have shared so much common ground over the years. A good, frequently updated site on a wide range of topics can be found on the site Nanotechnology at http://www.zyvex.com/nano/. Go there for recent news, nano-videos on the Web (requires "RealPlayer"), articles, links, and FAQs.

This model for a robot arm is built with individual atoms. Though not found in nature, the molecule will physically stick together.

The Japanese Power Industry Central Research Institute (a supporter of new technology) at 

http://criepi.denken.or.jp/ defines the discipline as: "A hypothetical fabrication technology in which objects are designed and built with the individual specification and placement of each separate atom. The first unequivocal nanofabrication experiments took place in 1990, for example with the deposition of individual xenon atoms on a nickel substrate to spell the logo of a certain very large computer company. Nanotechnology has been a hot topic in the hacker subculture ever since the term was coined by K. Eric Drexler in his book Engines of Creation, where he predicted that Nanotechnology could give rise to replicating assemblers, permitting an exponential growth of productivity and personal wealth."

A WWW version of Engines of Creation can be snatched from Evelio's Science Page at http://www.ultradrive.com/science.htm. Another seminal work describing the manipulation of material at the atomic level by microscopic machines was proposed by the physicist Richard Freynman. A succinct presentation of Freeman's seminal 1959 speech "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" can be found on John George's Diamond Age Nanotechnology site at http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/avebury/97/nano.

Where does this string of events position today's design engineers? Well, many are on the forefront of emerging technological processes and products ranging from assembly tools, medicine dosing devices, computing machines, motion control, labeling equipment, and a bevy of support industries. Catch the overview of molecular manufacturing on Nanocentral at http://www.nanocentral.com. Here you will find the communities of NanoSci, NanoWorld, and NanoMarkets peacefully coexisting. One organization that has supported the effort over the years is the nonprofit organization Foresight Institute at http://www.foresight.org/. Its expressed goal is "to guide emerging technologies to improve the human condition." Stop by for current information on challenge grants, conference venues, news and opportunities, and industry specific applications such as nanomedicine and medical nanorobots (with extensive related links). Other good resources on the practical potential of nanotech with good links can be found at the Merkle site at http://www.merkle.com, Sean Morgan's Nanotechnology Pages at http://www.lucifer.com/~sean/Nano.html, Brad Hein's Nanotechnology Page at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~bhein/nanotechnology.html, and the Nanotechnology Database, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, at http://itri.loyola.edu/nanobase. The Small is Beautiful site (not maintained) still has some useful links to various nanotech labs, manufacturing facilities, modeling centers, and publications at http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Groups/Nanotechnology/links.html.

Moving to increasingly focused industrial specifics, Nanotechnology Industries at http://www.nanoindustries.com/ has frequently updated links to academic resources, government and military facilities involved in nano matters, newsgroups, design tools, and companies in the discipline. IBM Research has a graphically pleasing site that deals with STM, carbon nanotubes, and AFM. Visit them at http://www.ibm.com/stories/1997/12/sm1.html. The Industry Nanobase at http://itri.loyola.edu/nanobase/ind.htm has links and outlines on molecular electronics firm California Molecular Electronics Corporation (CALMEC), IBM, Lucent, Nanogen, and other firms with real world applications. The University of North Carolina's nanoManipulator page at http://www.cs.unc.edu/Research/nano/nanopage.html addresses one of the most popular and elusive constructs: a particle assembler. Many other sites on this topic exist, especially in Europe, but they carry the nano label into the macro world, and, therefore, are not included here.

For a walk on the wild side, check out the news group sci.nanotech. For more on- topic insight, take a look at the NanoTechnology Magazine site at http://planet-hawaii.com/nanozine/. They have a quick access directory linking to definitions, nano pioneers, a gallery of images, and the applications and economic impact of the most likely developments. Institute of Physics Publishing at http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/IOP.html offers a free copy of what purports to be "the world's first journal on nanoscale science and technology disseminating research from the engineering, fabrication, optics, electronics, material science, molecular manufacturing, chemistry, biological and medical communities." A bibliography of molecular Nanotechnology electronic journals and magazines can also be accessed at http://www.lucifer.com/~sean/n-jour.html. MSTnews at http://www.vdivde-it.de/mstnews, primarily a MEMS publication, also carries occasional features on nano and biotechnologies. Think small!

Dr. Steve O'Neil   Contributing editor Steve O'Neil is president of the Small Motors and Motion Association (SMMA) and vice president advanced research and planning of Micro Mo Electronics Inc., Clearwater, FL. He can be reached on the Internet at steveo@micromo.com URL Alert! We recognize the URLs printed in these articles may change by the time you try them out on the Internet. Most of the past Bird-Doggin' articles we've printed, with updated URLs and links, can be found at http://www.micromo.com/related.html