[extropy-chat] Talking the Talk

[MIKE TREDER]

Last week, I attended the "Imaging and Imagining Nanoscience & Engineering" 
conference put on by the University of South Carolina. It was a gathering of 
over 100 researchers and analysts from around the world.

The keynote speech was given by Eric Drexler, who is sometimes described as 
the father of nanotechnology. Drexler's proposals and designs for molecular 
manufacturing inspired 'nanotechnology' as a unified field. However, Drexler 
appears to be frustrated with where the field is going. He accused several 
scientists by name of misrepresenting his work, and accused the NNI of 
stifling research toward molecular manufacturing. He even announced that his 
invitation to speak at the conference had been personally opposed by Mihail 
Roco, the head of the NNI. Drexler's talk was a mix of nanotech theory, 
political accusations, and exhortation to work harder on developing his 
designs.

By contrast, a talk by James Von Ehr, CEO of Zyvex, focused on specific 
future projects. Von Ehr reported that his company has a ten-year plan to 
build a molecular assembler, that is, a machine system capable of atomically 
precise manufacturing at the nanoscale. Of course, as he admitted, they had 
an earlier, even more ambitious plan that they've had to revise. But he said 
they learned a lot from that experience, and seems confident that this 
current effort has a good chance of success. The new Zyvex approach will 
combine top-down work in nanolithography with bottom-up designs in scanning 
probe depositional chemistry. My NGO, the Center for Responsible 
Nanotechnology (CRN) will be observing their R & D work with great interest.

Every time I meet with nanotech researchers, I come away amazed at how much 
real progress is being made. Of course, this only adds to CRN's sense of 
urgency for open and productive discussion about the ethical, legal, and 
social implications of nanotechnology, and appropriate policy initiatives.

You can read more about this and other CRN-related news on our blog at 
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/.

See you in the future!

Mike Treder
Executive Director
Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
http://CRNano.org

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