berlinblogger | 
04 14th, 2010| 
Size matters, and in the world of nanotechnology, smaller is better.
Nanotech is basically all about technology (microchips and robots) that is measured in nanometres. A nanometre is tiny – one billionth of a metre. Self-washing clothes, a microscopic mobile phone lodged under the skin, perfume released in steady doses throughout the day, surgery performed by microscopic robots injected into the blood stream – no more scalpels.
All of these things are not science fiction, they are on the way to a store near you.
The Good:
We are already using nanotech, of a sort. Drug delivery through patches has been around for a long time. Some of you have probably quit smoking using nicotine patches. Products in development include clothing that is impregnated with something resembling a USB port. These recharge your gadgets while you walk, using the power generated by your own body. We have nano-socks that use embedded technology to repel bad smells. A couple of years back, the wiperless windshield was unveiled and the same water-resistant technology is now used in swimsuits and other clothing. Why you would want your swimsuit to be dry when the rest of you is wet is anyone’s guess, but for around $50, it’s yours. Nanotech is being used in cancer research: Particles that greatly enhance the effects of radiation therapy are looking promising, as are the microscopic robots that are being built that can be injected into the body to destroy cancer cells, and possibly diagnose disease.
The Bad:
How do you like the idea of inhaling an army? The use of nanotech for destructive purposes is a very real possibility. The sad reality is that most of the resources for research and development are devoted to the military. This is where we got GPS and a host of other everyday applications. As well as the possibility of hundreds of billions of tiny robotic soldiers being released into the air of a city near you, there is also the Grey Goo. This sounds like something out of a 1950s B-Grade sci-fi flick, but it has been a hot topic on the table of Nanotech Ethics Groups for years. The problem is this: Nanobots are designed to self-replicate. This is not always the case, but on the battle-field, it is the only way to prevent ending up with a bunch of dead soldiers (or a bunch of deactivated tiny robots). If they are designed to self-replicate, ethicists are concerned about nanobots sweeping across the world like locusts, destroying everything in their path and leaving nothing but Grey Goo.
The Future:
Scientists have already successfully introduced nanotechnology into living cells.
Advances in miniaturisation means that within the next couple of decades, a single cell will fit up to 2500 transistors. This can mean everything from self-healing (eternal life, anyone?) to self-destruction, depending on who is doing the implanting. Nanotechnology may be the key to truly sustainable energy, global cleanup of all pollutants, atmospheric cleanup of greenhouse gases and materials that are not only biodegradable, they actually eat themselves. Nanotechnology may also be the key to destruction on such a widespread scale that the planet as we know it now will be changed forever. It may also lead to unheard of diseases, side-effects and problems that we not only cannot solve, we cannot even imagine.
Like all human technology (from fire, to the wheel, to nuclear energy), this is both a great leap forward and a huge risk. Those who say we are dangerously playing God ignore the fact that perhaps this is the goal of evolution: To bring a species to a point where it can control it’s own evolution and determine its own path. Which way that path will go is our choice.
A country that is especially known for their research in science and technology is Germany. Looking for some ‘Deutsche grundlichkeit’ or are you interested in knowing more about nanotechnology? Berlin is where it’s all happening! Apart from that this is a very dynamic and young city. Rent the best apartments in Berlin and enjoy your stay with us!
