Book Description
This title demystifies the topic for investors, business executives, and anyone interested in how molecule-sized machines and processes can transform our lives. Along with dispelling common myths, it covers nanotechnology's origins, how it will affect various industries, and the limitations it can overcome. This handy book also presents numerous applications such as scratch-proof glass, corrosion resistant paints, stain-free clothing, glare-reducing eyeglass coatings, drug delivery systems, medical diagnostic tools, burn and wound dressings, sugar-cube-sized computers, mini-portable power generators, even longer-lasting tennis balls, and more.

• Nanotechnology is the science of matter at the scale of one-billionth of a meter or 1/75,000th the size of a human hair
• Written in the accessible, humorous For Dummies style, this book demystifies nanotechnology for investors, business people, and anyone else interested in how molecule-sized machines and processes will soon transform our lives
• Investment in nanotechnology is exploding, with $3.7 billion in nanotechnology R&D spending authorized by the U.S. government in 2003 and international investment reported at over $2 billion

Customer Reviews (5)

Nanomaterials, Nanointermediates, Nano-enabled products
Nanomaterials: nanoparticles, nanotubes, quantum dots, fullerense, dendrimers, nanoprorous materials.

Nanointermediates: coatins, fabrices, memory and logic chips, optical components

Nano-enabling products: finished goods for cars, clothing, airplaines, computers, video, pharmaceuticals, appliances.

I found the Lux Research Index reference interesting (LUXI). I read about companies building products like: Zyvex , Mems and Nanotechnology , Nanosys, Altair, NVE (spin state storage MRAM) , FEI (visualization systems), Veeco (data storage and semiconductor), and Accelrys.

Hurdles: 1. Cost. The smaller the product being worked on, the more sophisticated and expensive the equipment needed to monitor quality control. 2. Availability. The equipment needed to producing nanomaterials may not be readily available or could be expensive. 3. Regulatory barriers. Evaluations and government approvals are needed to bring products such as a new drug to market, this takes time and time to market means sunk costs.

Growth: "Nanotechnology is likely to become a trillion-dollar industry in less than ten years." If this is true the Nanotech indexes reflect the exponential growth explosion. The time required for manufacturing process transform suggests companies are making purchases now and generating capital nanotechnology projects. For example, Toyota should be in the process of covering major sections of their car production lines to use nanomaterials. It may be true that no process modification is required and that raw materials can be substituted for nanomaterials. This is the best scenerio. If nanotechnology is too emerge it could start with a series of new companies that will create radical and disruptive technology.

Nanotubes: Researchers found that by adding a few percentage points of vaporized nichkel nanoparticels to the vaporized carbon, they could make as nanotubes as buckyballs. There are three methods for producing nanotubes: 1. High-pressure carbon monoxide deposition, HiPCO. This method involves a heated chamber which carbon monoxide molecules gas and small clusters of iron atoms flow. When the carbon monoxide molecules lands on the iron clusters and the iron acts as a catalyst breaking the molecule into carbon and oxygen. The result is a carbon nanotube and Carbon dioxide. The second method is called chemical-vapor deposition, CVD. In this method a hydrocarbon, such as, methane flows into a heated chamber coated with an iron catalyst. The high temperature causes the carbon and hydrogen break apart. The carbon atoms attach to the catalyst particles forming a nanotube. The third methods uses plasma torch to break apart hydrocarbon producing nanotubes.

Nanotube have three topology arrangements: armchair, zigzag, and Chiral. Nanotubes are elastic and strong. Nanotubes conduct heat and cold very well. A nanotube can be either metallic or semiconducting. A nanotube is metallic I the energy level that allows delocalized electrons t flow between atoms throughout the nanotube is right above the energy level used by electrons attached. A nanotube is semiconducting if the energy level of the conduction band is high enough sou that there is an energy gap between it and the valence band. Nanotubes will provide more efficient energy transmission and faster and more power computers. Nanotube tensile strength (GPa)=200, Young's modulus(GPa)=1000, and density=2.

Nanowire: Researchers have demonstrated using nanowires to create memory devices and transistors. A nanowire crosslatched arrangement will be able to store 40 gigabits per square centimeter.

Polymer composites: "Scientist at University of Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated a unique self-healing composite. It involves dispersing microcapsules and catalyst within the composite. When the catalyst comes in contact with the healing agent inside the microcapsule, the healing agent polymerizes and hardens." Heals microcracks resulting from temperature changes or pressures of mechnical loading.

NanoTransistor: A transistor is the switch that says whether a bit is 0 or 1. Think of a water dam. In the off position no water is flowing through and on the water is flowing, electrons are flowing freely. The smaller the transistor, the smaller your electron gate-which means faster switching between on and off, resulting in a faster overall processor.

Photoelectrochemical hydrogen extraction:A photoelectrochemical device is a 30 nm layer of nanoparticles placed on a conductive glass.The nanoparticles are composed of semi-conducting oxides.The conducting glass is connected to an electrode.The space between electrode and nanoparticle film and conductive glass is filled with water.Light strikes the layer of nanoparticles knocking the electron's loose. Those electrons move through the conducting glass layer to the metal electrode putting a negative charge in it.You have a layer of nanoparticles that electrons are rushing out and a nearby metal electrode that electrons are rushing in. Hydrogen is emitted. (Hydrogen Solar Ltd)

Nanotech Movers and Shakers: Richard Smalley , Charles Lieber , Jongjie Dai , James Heath , James Von Her , George Whitesides , Paul Alivisatos , Angela Belcher , and Richard Feyman and Eric Drexler .

The best book on nanotechnology
Before reading this book, I didn't know, nor did I care about nanotechnology. But now, I see all the applications of it in every day life!

Single Principies
Made Nanotechnology clear and easy to understand. Provides a pointed introduction to the fascinating subject of nano-techlogy with emphasis on the applications.

Juan Carlos M. Escobar-remolina

Great things in *very* small packages...
It's *amazing* what you can find in the "For Dummies" series...:)

I've always enjoyed the Dummies series, especially when it comes to a complex subject where "I don't know what I don't know".A book that can explain the subject in simple terms gives me the mental framework on which to build my learning.This book is a perfect example...Nanotechnology For Dummies by Richard Booker and Earl Boysen.

Contents:
Part 1 - Getting Small with Nanotechnology:The Hitchhiker's Guide to Nanotechnology; Nano in Your Life; Gathering the Tools of the Trade
Part 2 - Building a Better World with Nanomaterials: Nanomaterials Galore; Adding Strength with Composites
Part 3 - "Smarter" Computers!Faster Internet!Cheaper Energy!: Building a Better Digital Brain; Routing Information at the Speed of Light; Nano-fying Electronics; Getting Energy and a Cleaner Environment with Nanotech
Part 4 - Living Healthier Lives: Diagnosing Personal Health Quickly, Easily, and Pain-Free; The Fantastic Voyage into Medical Applications
Part 5 - Investing in Nanotech: Industries Going Small; Countries Investing In a Nano Future; Nanotechnology Goes to School
Part 6 - The Parts of Tens: Ten (or so) Nanotech Movers and Shakers; Further Reading on the Web and in Your Library
Glossary; Index

My prior knowledge of nanotech was pretty much restricted to the sci-fi realm, where machines build themselves and nanotech runs amok.But if asked how it all works, I'd be at a complete loss.In this Dummies title, Booker and Boysen do an excellent job in making the very, very tiny...very understandable.You won't be ready to launch your own nanotech firm or get a degree in nano-medicine, but you'll at least walk away with a better understanding of the subject.While the authors do tend to be wonderfully enthusiastic about the nanotech future, I think that their optimism is somewhat warranted.They show you the edge of the future that we are about to enter, and even after dismissing the hype, there's some intriguing stuff out there.

I think I was most fascinated about where the medical field is going with nanotech.Customized delivery systems for medicines that can put the dosage right where it's needed.Nanocells that can attach themselves to cancer cells and then respond to laser stimulation and fry away the cancer.Obviously not next week's cure, but the authors show you it's closer than you might think.

If this subject is something you've thought interesting but still don't understand very well, it's well worth getting a copy of Nanotechnology For Dummies.It's an enjoyable read, and you'll come away with many "small" pieces of insight (sorry, bad nano-joke there...)

A New Science Explained As Simply as Possible
Sometimes I have to chuckle at the titles contained in the For Dummies series. Nanotechnology is not something that I would normally think of as being of interest to Dummies. I guess I'd best not give examples of subjects I'd think of as being suitable For Dummies.

However, that misses the point. The For Dummies series has pioneered a writing style that enables the non-informed reader to get a much better understanding of complex subjects.

Nanotechnology is a science that is only about twenty years old. I say 'about' twenty years because it really depends on just what you consider to be the start of the science.

Nanotechnology deals with things that are nano in size, say around 1/5000 the size of a red blood cell, about 1/75,000 the diameter of a human hair. At that size, all kinds of strange and wonderful things begin to happen. The technology promises to offer significant improvements in all kinds of areas from energy, health, to computers.

I can't really talk about the subject in this short review, it's too big, that's why it takes a whole book to cover.

Conclusion: Written in the For Dummies style, this is a book on Nanotechnology that makes it understandable to the average person. I'd consider it mandatory reading for anyone thinking of going into chemistry or physics for a career. My prediction (and the authors) is that this is going to be the hot science subject of the next generation. If I knew a high school student interested in science.... ... Read more

Book Description
Everyone in the modern world knows what technology is. But what is nanotechnology? Taken from the Greek, nano means "one billionth part of" a whole. In modern parlance, it means very, very small. Nano-tech is the next step after miniaturization. Cell phones are miniaturized versions of traditional landline phones. Wristwatches are miniature versions of clocks. Desktop computers are miniature versions of the original analog calculating machines. Miniaturization is commonplace in today's world. In tomorrow's world, nano-tech will be the new common technology. It will affect everyone on the planet, and may change civilization as it is now known.Scientific American's UNDERSTANDING NANOTECHNOLOGY presents the cutting edge of a new technology that will find usage in medicine, space exploration, communications, manufacturing, and almost every other aspect of modern society. Imagine getting an injection of "smart" molecules that can seek out cancer cells and destroy them without harming any of the surrounding tissue. Imagine a simultaneous space launch via the Shuttle of thousands of robotic probes, each no bigger than an insect, and each programmed to do a single task in concert with all of the others. And that's just the beginning.Download Description
Everyone in the modern world knows what technology is. But what is nanotechnology? Taken from the Greek, nano means "one billionth part of" a whole. In modern parlance, it means very, very small. Nano-tech is the next step after miniaturization. Cell phones are miniaturized versions of traditional landline phones. Wristwatches are miniature versions of clocks. Desktop computers are miniature versions of the original analog calculating machines. Miniaturization is commonplace in today's world. In tomorrow's world, nano-tech will be the new common technology. It will affect everyone on the planet, and may change civilization as it is now known.

Scientific American's UNDERSTANDING NANOTECHNOLOGY presents the cutting edge of a new technology that will find usage in medicine, space exploration, communications, manufacturing, and almost every other aspect of modern society. Imagine getting an injection of "smart" molecules that can seek out cancer cells and destroy them without harming any of the surrounding tissue. Imagine a simultaneous space launch via the Shuttle of thousands of robotic probes, each no bigger than an insect, and each programmed to do a single task in concert with all of the others. And that's just the beginning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Understanding Nanotechnology, a compilation of articles from Scientific American
"Understanding Technology", a compilation of articles from Scientific American, is an excellent book for the layperson to find out about nanotechnology.It's not too lofty or heavily technical - a big help in introducing someone to this field who might not have a background in science.Very readable and interesting.Unfortunately, the field of nanotech is changing so rapidly that many discoveries have been made since this book wasfirst published.

Nanostructures Boast Superior Results
Nano structures boast superior electrical, chemical, mechanical, or optical properties.Improvements may include circuit lines less than 100 nanometers in distance and nanoelectronic devices replacing existing electronic devices.

In 1987, Theordore A Fulton and Gerald J. Dolan of Bell Laboratories constructed the first single electron transfer.It had the advantage of low power usage and heat leapfrogging past the 2014 heat problem.In 1998 Cees Dekker's group at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands created a transistor from a carbon nanotube.In 1999, James M Tour and Mark A Reed demonstrated that single molecules could act as molecular switches.Exxon Mobile created Zeolites, minerals with pores of less than a nanometer which serve as an effective catalyst to break down or crack large hydrocarbon molecules to form gasoline.

Nanotech's vision is to assemble complex machines and circuits atom by atom.The author predicts the top down approach will be the most likely method of choice for building complex devices (electronbeam lithography, Zyvex, Quantum Dot Corporation)

Nanomechanical signal processing is constructed from a million nanomechanical elements with the advantage of only dispating a millionth of a watt of energy.Low powered Nanomechanical devices will create a proliferation and distribution of cheap, ultraminiture smart sensors.

A good introduction
If you want to know what Nanothechnology is this book will tell you. It is aimed at the "intelligent layman" and as such succeeds rather well.

I found it easier going from a stylistic point of view than Ratner's "Nanothechnology: Gentle Introduction to the next big idea". If I were to buy only one of them I should buy this one.

An excellent introduction for the new technological bang
Materials Science usually offers an unique opportunity to test our scientific models. The search for new properties in the mesoscopic realm has open such expectatives in several scientific fields -from physics and chemistry to biology and medicine- that an introductory text is a great help in order to obtain a wide view of the next scientific and technological trends. Scientific American has made this recopilation of several essays that bring together the main ideas for the new technological revolution, at a level usefull for the expert and understandable for the lay man. As a Materials Scientist I enthusiastically recommend it.

Good book for starters who are interested.
I just finished reading this book, and i must say wow.Before i read this book i knew nothing about Nanotechnology.Now i have a basic idea of how this technology can change our future.This is a good book for people who are interested in at least getting a foundation about this stuff. ... Read more

Book Description

Explore the Properties of Today's Widely Used Nanomaterials—and Assess Their Potentially Harmful Effects on the Environment

Customer Reviews (7)

great read
Despite possessing a degree in engineering, I have no formal training in any branch of nanotechnology. That didn't matter. Each essay was very well written and provided great insight into the promising world of nanoscience. I particularly enjoyed the writings pertaining to business applications and intellectual property rights. The final essays are dedicated to the nitty-gritty science behind the hype. These are where the inexperienced might become a little lost, but with a little thought (and maybe some google searches) most readers should come away with a good feel for what nano has to offer both now and in the future. For a real good knowledge rundown of nanoscience and its potential applications, I would highly recommend Nanotechnology for Dummies by Richard Booker.

The latest, by the nation's leading experts
Nanotechnology is promising to revolutionize many businesses and while some of this is touched upon in other books, most focus on the science involved. NANOTECHNOLOGY: SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY gathers writings by the field's leading experts to provide the latest facts, edits the information by a key industry advisor, and surveys everything from social change implications and business obstacles and hype. Much more wide-ranging than most, it links the emerging science to key issues not just in science and ethics but reaching into the business development world.

Practical roadmap to the future
Foster's book, with entries by some of the leading players in the field, is an invaluable resource for anyone trying to understand not just the science behind nanotechnology (actually, a number of different scientific areas), but its implications for the future of technology and how we'll get there from here. An outstanding and timely resource - if you want to understand the nano sector today, and where it's going, you have to read it.

Excellent Book!
This is a great overview of a rapidly growing and important technology field.It is good for those who are familiar with research and business developments in the area as well as a great introduction for those who would like to know more about what nanotechnology is all about.

Overcoming Resistance and Financing Issues
Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity hangs on the available money to move projects forward. This is a great book for those interested in this potential for world changing technology. The chapters come from many sources and it's a must read for people interested in our future. I like the very credible sources and the way Lynn Foster put this book together. Not easy to understand, so read it carefully. I personally loved the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea
Good book for begginers.It starts simple and build you up.Not too many hard conecpts.

Medical: Quantam Dots, Colloids, Cantilevers, Dendrimers, Nanoshells
Quantum Dots contain only a few hundred atoms.Because the electrons in a quantum dot are confined to widely separated energy levels, the dot emits only one wavelength of light when excited.The size of the dot determines its electronic, magnetic, and optical properties.Quantum Dot Corporation has developed a QD cadmium selenide nanoparticle for use as biological labels.Researchers can tag proteins and nucleic acids with QD and illuminate them with ultraviolet light and the crystal will fluoresce at a specific wavelength and show the location of attached proteins.How does a QD work? An organic dye molecule absorbs only photons of light with just the right energy to lift its electrons from their quiescent state to one of the higher levels available to them.The incident light must be exactly the right wavelength or color.The molecule will emit a photon when the electron falls to a lower energy level.

Colloids: nanoparticles in suspension.IBM is exploring using colloids to build ultrahigh density data storage.IBM is using colloids containing magnetic nanoparticles 3 nm across, each composing of about 1,000 iron and platinum atoms.The colloid is spread on a surface and the solvent allowed to evaporate and these nanoparticles crytalize into 2 or 3 dimensional arrays.These arrays could hold trillions of bits per square inch.

Cantilevers:IBM is exploring using atomic force microscopes to screen samples for certain genetic sequences.They attach short strands of DNA to the tops of cantilevers.When genetic material carrying a complementary sequence binds to the anchored strands, it induces a surface stress, which bends the cantilevers subtly, by use nanometers, but enough for detection.

Dendrimers:An dendrimer is an artifical molecule.Dendrimers are globular molecules about the size of a typical protein, but they do not come apart or unfold because they are held together with stronger chemical bonds.Dendrimers can be engineered to transport DNA into cells for gene therapy.Dendrimers offer control.It may be possible to design dendrimers that spontaneously swell and liberate their contents oly when the appropriate trigger molecules are present. This ability would allow a custom-made dendrimer to release its load of drugs I just the tissues or organs needing treatment.

Nanoshells: Nanoshells are extremely small beads of glass coated with gold.Nanoshells capture energy in near-infrared fashion.Such a nanoshell could be made to deliver drug molecules at specific times by attaching it to a capsule made of heat-sensitive polymer.The capsule would release its contents only when gentle heating of the attached nonshell caused it to deform.Another more dramatic application envisions connecting nanoshells with antibodies.The antibodies attach to the tumor cells and the nanoshells are heated using high power infrared sufficiently to destroy the cancer cells, while leaving nearby tissue unharmed.

Great Job
The book promised an intro to nanotechnology and that's what it delivered. A fairly nontechnical, but graphic representation of a new science. If someone wants a thourough education buy a textbook. If you want an intro into one of the most promising new fields without a 400 page manual, this is a good place to start. The previous reviewer is a moron. Read the cover before you buy it.

Next Big Idea
Great job organizing such sciency material in easy, yet educational format!Some of the best in the field recommended this read.The author's analogies and content are accurate.This book gives the reader a toolset of knowledge to expand on.Regardless of ones background, this technology is worth knowing about.With a background as a manufacturing engineer, I don't fit into the traditional chemistry and biology scene.I look at this area and see untraditional manufacturing processes that people need to know about.When these processes come out of research, and into the manufacturing sector there are going to be serious manufacturing challenges.This book has helped me solidify my interest within this field.

Hot Author Review
Dan Ratner: A man with brains and one hot body! He's got it all! I have had the pleasure of meeting this young and "yummy" hunk after the release of his book. I must say, his photo in the book doesn't do him justice. Ladies, you really have to see this hunk in person! If you are ever in the Chicago area, I would seriously advise you to go.

You can tell he works out by his incredible bulging muscles. Oh, yeah! What a physique! Is this guy for real or just a fantasy? Gotta wipe that drool off your lips, Ladies. *smack* Oh, I'd love to feel those arms for myself. His body, from what I could see, gets an "A" rating here!!

His personality rating is an "A" rating as well. He is so well mannered and is a pleasure to converse with. Quite refreshing to meet such a man. I would certainly love a date with this fine young author over a nice old fashion candle-lit dinner. His mannerism is a definite "A+" rating here!

Unfortunately, my meeting with Mr. Dan Ratner was not long enough to give an extensive review, although, I hope our next meet will be.

Anyway, if you like brains and brawn, I'd definitely recommend this author! ... Read more

Book Description
Flying cars, space travel for everyone, the elimination of poverty and hunger, and powerful new tools to combat disease, and even aging. These are some of the amazing predicted developments of nanotechnology, the coming science of designing and building machines at the molecular and atomic levels. Will this new scientific revolution be for better or worse? Some commentators have described utopias; others have prophesied disaster. Find out the likely reality from an expert, Dr. J. Storrs Hall, in this absorbing insider's guide to the near future. Dr. Hall—a leading researcher on the frontiers of nanotechnology who has designed for NASA—describes nanotechnology in a very accessible way, so that anyone can understand what it's about, what it could do, and what it can't do. He puts it into historical context, explaining how previous technological developments have affected us, how nanotechnology fits into the historical trends for technologies ranging from motors to medicine, and how the continuation of these trends, with nanotechnology as a strong determining factor, will have a profound impact on the future.In addition to describing his famous invention utility fog, Hall explains how nanotechnology will make possible many of the science fiction dreams of the past. But what hurdles, technological, political, or social, stand in the way? What dangers will this powerful new technology pose? How will it impact the environment? Can we afford to develop it? Can we afford not to? The true dangers are not what you may think, and are far different from the fears of today's alarmists. In a straightforward, balanced manner, Dr. Hall analyzes the benefits as well as the potential risks. Together with its sister science of biotechnology, nanotechnology has the potential to alter the very human race, change who we are. Can this possibly be good? Should it be encouraged or opposed? No one knows for sure, but the basis for informed thought can be found in these exciting, stimulating pages, which will open the doors of the future to you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Good introduction, but just the beginning
For those who are new to nanotechnology, this is a good place to start. But be prepared for a journey through a variety of disciplines that relate to this topic, including physics, engineering, biology, and others. The descriptions and analogies that explain what nanotechnology is, how it would work, and what it would be good for are useful and understandable. Those who are already reasonably familiar with these concepts might find the first half of the book tedious, and should probably look for something more advanced, perhaps addressing particular applications of nanotechnology.
The character of the narrative changes about two-thirds of the way into the book, as Hall shifts to discussions of possible nano-futures and why we should embrace them rather than fear them. At this point, technical explanation gives way to speculation and opinion. There's nothing wrong with that - it's always interesting to hear what experienced, forward-looking technologists have to say about their perspective on the future. From my perspective (political scientist specializing in science & tech policy, especially for space), I would have liked to see more about how evolving nanotech can be used to develop capabilities and solutions in the medium term and less about how we're going to become preternatural transhumans who all own Star Trek-style matter synthesizers.
The artificial intelligence chapter is an interesting intro to AI, but the tie-in to nanotech is almost non-existent, so it seems like a sidebar discussion. Regarding the chapter on space, I would have liked to see this topic far more developed given the author's obvious interest in it. The role of nanotech in space seems relegated to making better spacesuits and stronger, lighter spaceships - and of course, providing spacefarers with those handy synthesizers than can turn asteroid dust into food. There must be a multitude of other applications: sensor nets, very large-scale life support systems, space agriculture, energy generation and distribution, propulsion, etc. For those who are fond of the "space elevator" and similar concepts, Hall quickly dismisses these as infeasible and proposes his own idea for an immense launch tower (60 miles high, 240 miles long) that seems like it would be even more difficult to construct than the space elevator.
Some readers will prefer the technical exposition of the first part of the book; others, the futurist speculation of the second part. Either way, this is a topic we need to be thinking about, since the future is what we make it.

Best nanotech book since "Engines of Creation"
It has been two decades since Drexler's Engines of Creation launched the beginnings of the nanotech revolution, and it has aged better than any other technical book I've ever read. Since Engines of Creation has not yet been updated, J. Storrs Hall's book Nanofuture: What's Next for Nanotechnology is the book to read to quickly learn why increasing numbers of people are getting excited about nanotechnology.

Hall begins the book by addressing the current confusion regarding nanotechnology, explaining how the National Nanotechnology Initiative's budget is being spent on nanoscale science, with almost nothing going to what Hall defines as nanotechnology: atomically precise manufacturing of machines whose parts are built with atomic precision. This means that each atom and bond in the finished part is designed, just as the parts in the machinery are.

To deliver on the results that most people expect from nanotechnology, the current NNI research focus--on synthetic chemistry, nanoscale particles, materials science, and even nanoelectronics--is not enough. In clear and easy-to-read prose, Hall explains why, and he explains what needs to be done, and how we've progressed towards that goal.

As the former administrator of the sci.nanotech newsgroup, Hall observed or participated in many discussions on nanotech issues in the last two decades. These included everything from the technical problems of molecular self-assembly and self-replication to the methods for preventing catastrophic misuses of advanced molecular manufacturing. He uses this expertise to explain complex technical details, without ignoring the social and economic implications. The biggest difference between Engines of Creation and Nanofutures is that Hall discusses many advances made in the last 20 years, and addresses arguments that were leveled against Engines of Creation. He also puts many applications of nanotechnology in a detailed historical context, connecting them strongly not only with the present, but with the past.

While Hall is optimistic about nanotech developments, he often explains the caveats involved. He says things like "If we can do using the primitive molecularly imprecise structures, isn't it reasonable that we'll be able to do much better with atomically precise ones?" He then explains the limits that we may not be able to overcome. For example, molecular manufacturing may enable better superconductors in general, but may not enable nanoscale superconducting wires because there may not be enough room for the molecular processes involved in superconduction to operate.

One section of Nanofuture that might be over-optimistic is the section on AI, for the same reason that Engines of Creation was over-optimistic: the predictions are not concerned with new engineering (which generally is predictable) but with new science (in which new discoveries cannot be predicted). In this case, AI may even require new metaphysics.

Hall's projections miss the ways in which the nanotechnology revolution will extend the two biggest problems raised by the World Wide Web. The first is the physical instantiation of computer viruses. They will most likely only infect nanofactories, but the impact will be more substantial than if only software were affected. The second is the human vulnerability to compulsive addictions (eg. gambling, pornography, computer games).

In summary, unless you've been closely following nanotechnology for the past 20 years, Hall's Nanofuture is the best book for understanding the coming nanotech revolution.

Interesting book about what is next for science.
First of all I must say this book is not for the faint of heart or faint of mind. I wouldn't reccomend someone who hadn't been educated at a university or at least had interest in nanotechnology. For those who don't know nanotechnology in the loose usage is just parts that range from 1 to 1000 nanometers in size-essentially many billions of times smaller than the width of a human hair. However, what people in the industry refer to as true nanotechnology is machinery that can operate at a molecular or atomic level. Some aspects of the book get fairly deep into biology, physics and chemistry. For the first half of the book there is a "nanofact" or possible amazing thing that can be done with this technology every other page. The second half gets into the logistics and actual possiblity of nanotechnology.

Not to be terribly critical but it is clear Hall's PhD is in science and not literature. I didn't go looking for errors but I did find a few. So if you are looking for a well edited book or mind some of the goofy onomotopia then you probably shouldn't read this book. Nanofuture is more like a science fiction novel written by an actual scientist than a reference. About halfway through the book I felt like could have really started to curtail. Instead Dr. Hall starts going into more opinated topics such as space living and transhumanism. I say opininated because they are his opinions. While some are warranted, others are just what he feels should happen. This is why scientists don't run countries.

Hall touts nanotechnology as the next technological revolution and he makes a very good argument for it. Some of the most interesting facts: it would be possible to make an electrostatic engine with billions of smaller nanoengines capable of making the equivalent of a 100,000 horsepower jet engine that could fit in the palm of your hand/an atomically precise building going up for tens of miles/all the information on the internet (approximately 4 billion webpages) could fit into a single grain of sand with nanotechnology.

Hall talks about five stages of nanotechnology which ranges from stage one which are just moving parts at the nanometer level to level five where whole nanofactories can replicate themselves and are completely autonomous. Having completed some college physics I know a few things about the possibility of these quite incredible machines. Everything at least is plausible because on the atomic level there is no waste and these machines will not ever wear, making so many things in transportation almost infinitely more efficient.

The latter part of the book gets into some considerably further off technology such as synthesizing machines and robots. Some of this seems to be almost pointless to put in the book because a large part of it is speculation--especially the robots. More importantly the greatest factor in deciding if and when nanotechnology will come to fruition is politics. Science and progress, for the past several centuries has depended on politics, whether in the church or in the government. According to Hall one billion dollars a year are being allocated to research across the United States. Unfortunately, much of this funding is going to research that is moving rather slow and/or being used for creating small parts for current technology in cpu's, cell phones, televisions and various other electronics. He intimates that nanotechnology is most likely going to be considerably advanced in the next decade, almost certainly in the next 25 years and definitely in the next century. I have to agree with him about this, but only in the sense that this technology will become more prevalent; quite possibly never ubiquitous as televisions or computers.

Mr. Hall needs an editor.
I can't give this book more than two stars, and that's being generous.

Mr. Hall does present some interesting ideas, but unfortunately, his editors have done him a huge disservice. Here are the first three sentences of Stage I, on page 23;

Essentially what we have now--nanoscale science and technology--including the ability to image at the atomic scale with scanning probe microscopes, and a very limited ability to manipulate, that is, by pushing things around with the same scanning probes. A scanning probe is essentially like feeling something with a stick. Because you have a computer behind it, you can touch it in a very close grid of points and produce a picture.

I made it through the first fifty pages, and it didn't get any better.

I don't know if Mr. Hall had a final read before publication, or not, but someone should have stopped this book from being published until it was properly edited.







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Predicting the Technological Future
Nanotechnology is one of the few emerging technologies that truly has the potential to significantly alter our future. At this stage it is still at the level of the Wright Brothers first flyer. It's interesting to see what the visionary thinkers are beginning to think will come in the future. It must be understood that while forecasting the future like this book does is easy (although I don't have the specialized knowledge to do it) being right is very, very hard.

This is not the way that the future will unfold. But if the past is any forecast of the future, he is too conservative rather than too expansive.

The future, particularily in terms of avaiable resources (such as oil) isn't going to be like the past century or so. Nano machines that are the size of human hair don't take many resources. His 100-kilowatt (about 133 hp) engine running on hydrogen weights about 1.5 ounces. That's not much in resources when compared with an engine of equal power.

Hischapters on the real dangers from nano-war, nano-terrorism, and others are excellent and make it clear that the technology may be different, but we are all still people. ... Read more

Book Description
The emergence of nanoscience portends a revolution in technology that will soon impact virtually every facet of our technological lives. Yet there is little understanding of what it is among the educated public and often among scientists and engineers in other disciplines. Furthermore, despite the emergence of undergraduate courses on the subject, no basic textbooks exist.Nanotechnology: Basic Science and Emerging Technologies bridges the gap between detailed technical publications that are beyond the grasp of nonspecialists and popular science books, which may be more science fiction than fact. It provides a fascinating, scientifically sound treatment, accessible to engineers and scientists outside the field and even to students at the undergraduate level. After a basic introduction to the field, the authors explore topics that include molecular nanotechnology, nanomaterials and nanopowders, nanoelectronics, optics and photonics, and nanobiometrics. The book concludes with a look at some cutting-edge applications and prophecies for the future.Nanoscience will bring to the world technologies that today we can only imagine and others of which we have not yet dreamt. This book lays the groundwork for that future by introducing the subject to those outside the field, sparking the imaginations of tomorrow's scientists, and challenging them all to participate in the advances that will bring nanotechnology's potential to fruition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nanotechnology: Basic Science and Emergining Technologies
An excellent comprehensive introduction. Very good index and usefull references for deeper study. This book will serve as handy general reference. ... Read more

Book Description
Although nanotechnology is a hot topic, the search for a true introductory textbook usually comes up cold. Students in a first course on nanotechnology come from a wide variety of backgrounds, so the text must not assume understanding of too much background material, nor be too focused on any particular area. And still, those students are capable of understanding the hard details of the science, so the text must not gloss over the rigorous scientific explanations. Nanotechnology: Understanding Small Systems fits perfectly between popular science books and high-level treatises, neither of which suit the needs of students approaching this field for the first time.

Working from the ground up, this text provides a detailed yet accessible introduction to the worlds fastest growing field. Through real-world examples, hundreds of homework problems, original illustrations, and a clear approach, the authors accomplish the delicate task of keeping the book engaging while not avoiding real explanations of complex concepts. They take a systems-based approach, demonstrating how an understanding of the various areas underlying nanotechnology come together to create systems with unique functions and characteristics. In every case, comparing nanoscale systems to macroscale systems reveals the complex and fundamental differences between phenomena at different scales and uncovers the specific challenges posed by nanotechnology.

With comprehensive coverage conveyed in an engaging and entertaining style, Nanotechnology: Understanding Small Systems provides a gateway into the exciting and rapidly evolving area of nanotechnology. ... Read more

Book Description
Get up to speed on nanotechnology and the many biological, chemical, physical, environmental, and political aspects of this developing science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very informative for a beginner!
It is exciting to learn about the nanoscale world and nanotechnology's influence on pharmaceuticals, biomedical applications, energy, communications, engineering and the environment. The most amazing stuff are 'nanomedicine' and 'quantum computing & communications'. Nanomedicine describes the medical field of targeting disease or repairing damaged tissues at the molecular level. Quantum computers will be able to process and store huge amounts of information. Quantum processing can operate millions, even billions of times faster than today's supercomputers!

not bad technically, but style was annoying
I thought the book was not bad techniclly, albeit written at fairly low level, which I suppose it the focus of the book. However, the authors tried to be "cute" and "dumbed" down the writing, which I found annoying. For example, each chapter ended with a short quiz of 10-15 questions. Without fail, at least 1-2 questions had one absurd and stupid multiple choice answer. For example, Chapt 2, question 9 asks "a nanometer is equal to...?," and choice (a) is "zillionth of a meter." Pretty stupid-right? Chapter 3, question 4 asks "nanotechnology allows material to be created from...?," and choice (c) is "dust bunnies." Even more stupid. Chapt 4, question 6 asks "which of the following tools are not used by nanotechnologists in their work" and choice (d) is "a can opener." OK, now it's getting annoying. This continues through out the entire book, with each chapter having at least one such stupid choice. I don't know if the authors were trying to be funny, amusing, or inject some levity, but I think it had the effect of "dumbing-down the book." I found it rather annoying. It really wasn't the most scholarly work, but if you know absolutely nothing about nanotechnology, and wish to know at least the basic terminology, I suppose it's worth reading. ... Read more

Book Description
This self-confessed introduction provides technical administrators and managers with a broad, practical overview of the subject and gives researchers working in different areas an appreciation of developments in nanotechnology outside their own fields of expertise. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not worth the money
Perhaps this book would suffice as a surface reference, but it should not be used as the primary text for any course. The coverage is sparse at best, and it seems unlikely that anyone who didn't already understand the topics covered could do so with this book alone.

Perhaps it serves a purpose, but it cannot be used extensively.

A good introduction to nanotechnology
I started reading this book trying to get a good initial grip on the notions and progress made in nanotechnology. This book helped me exactly as I wanted. Very clearly written it takes you through a wide range of topics and in the end one manages to form a pretty good idea about development in one area or another of this very multiform field and, more importantly, gives a sense of where to go and what to expect from a certain branch.
Overall is a good starter and a valuable guide in nanotechnology.

Presents abridged versions of other reviews
This book merely presents abridged versions of other reviews on nanotechnology. For example, the chapter on self-assembly misses most if not all if the initial discoveries and describes second and third generation reports that merely duplicate the concepts with new chemical building blocks. If one reads the reviews cited at the end of the chapters one will get a better view of the respective topics. ... Read more

Product Description
Small is cool! What is nanotechnology? What are MEMS? And what makes them so special? Welcome to the wonderful world of really small stuff. Things so tiny, you need special microscopes to even see them. MEMS & Nanotechnology for Kids explores what you can find at the micro- and nano-scale; where you ll discover all sorts of amazingly small sensors, structures and materials. You ll learn what they do and how they work, then find out why they re useful in all kinds of products, from bikes to video games.While written for middle school students age 11-14, younger children and adults alike may also benefit from the easy-to-read explanations. Beautifully illustrated with nearly 80 full-color photos, MEMS & Nanotechnology for Kids aims to inspire students about the possibilities of science and technology. Readers of this book will find A Consumer's Guide to MEMS & Nanotechnology, which provides greatly expanded discussion and hundreds of examples in the same reader-friendly format, an ideal reference companion. ... Read more

Book Description
With the second edition of his highly successful textbook 'Nanophysics and Nanotechnology', the author has once more provided a unique, self-contained introduction to the physical concepts, techniques and applications of nanoscale systems by covering its entire spectrum from the latest examples right up to single-electron and molecular electronics. The book is basically at the level of an upper level undergraduate engineering or science student. New sections have been added on the use of DNA as an organizing stratagem in self-assembly, silicon nanowires, comments on the new success toward human cloning, the achievement of self-replication in a primitive set of electromechanical robots, recognition in the extra chapters of the acceleration toward alternative forms of nanoelectronics. Additional problems have also been provided.

* Free solutions manual available for lecturers at www.wiley-vch.de/supplements/ ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent textbook
This excellent textbook presents the basic concepts of Nanotechnology and Nanophysics in a well structured, solid manner, without leaving any aspects unattached. It is updated, with references to recently published work in top rated journals. The main advantage of the book is the wide spectrum of the issues covered, ranging from biology to quantum computing, allowing future applications to be tackled by the students easier.

fundamental approach to the field
Wolf explains from the vantage of a physicist what exactly is nanophysics, and what the engineering implications might be. He describes how the size of atoms, at 0.1 nanometers or so, sets a natural lower limit, and how the scale of nanometers lets us see and use quantum phenomena for designing new materials.

A solid background in quantum mechanics would not be remiss, before trying this book. Wolf offers a bottoms-up approach to understanding the various branches of nanotech research, which is currently burgeoning. ... Read more

Book Description
Technology is becoming molecularly precise. Nanotechnology, otherwise known as molecular engineering, will soon create effective machines as small as DNA. This capacity to manipulate matter -- to program matter -- with atomic precision will utterly change the economic, ecological, and cultural fabric of our lives. This book, which is accessible to a broad audience while providing references to the technical literature, presents a wide range of potential applications of this new material technology.

The first chapter introduces the basic concepts of molecular engineering and demonstrates that several mutually reinforcing trends in current research are leading directly into a world of surprisingly powerful molecular machines. Nine original essays on specific applications follow the introductory chapter. The first section presents applications of nanotechnology that interact directly with the molecular systems of the human body. The second presents applications that function, for the most part, outside the body. The final section details the mechanisms of a universal human-machine interface and the operation of an extremely high resolution display system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

NanoUtopian Dreams
Crandall presents ten essays out of which to construct your nanoUtopian dream.Another example of a genre called fictional science where the reader must supply the plot, characters and action.What is all this talk of nanobots and utility fog? Is man not already constructed from nanomachines?One might already ask if molecules of nicotine, aspirin, heroin or cocaine are nanomachines since they control the flow of neurotransmitters.Is molecular engineering merely the search for molecular shapes that will fit together like lego blocks-just like the search for new drugs?

Many are enamored by the way the cells and bacteria of the body construct our reality.They would like to copy these processes and rename them nanotechnology.Viewing cells and proteins as nanomachines is not new.Evolution, itself, could be viewed as a way of encapsulating cooperating cells intohuman shaped terrariums. Crandall quotes Richard Preston on the flesh eating Ebola Zaire virus: "seven mysterious proteins that ...work as a relentless machine, a molecular shark, and they consume the body as the virus makes copies of itself."

These writers suggest ways man could profit by controlling the design of these cellular machines.Richard Crawford's contribution suggests man designed molecules could be injected into the blood steam in order to do the bidding of cosmetic surgeons.He sees big cash to be made.Edward Reifman proposes diamond teeth but would this put dentists in the unemployment line?Brian Wowk manipulates phase array optics to enable the reader to construct a STAR TREK holodeck.J. Storrs Hall envisions filling one's environment with utility fog, placing one within a kind of pixel coated TV screen where objects in your personal space can be moved as easily as pictures on that screen.Tom McKendree worries that nanosized assemblers will make goods so plentiful that nothing will be of any value.Crandall, himself, suggests that when room runs out on earth we might repackage man into geodesic spheres, floating ecospheres, in stationary orbit high above the planet.All pretty good fictional science but why not read Greg Bear where you also get the plot, characters and action.

amazing!
Ok so the title (of the review) is kida corny, but dont worry,i did read the book and il have to say its a good book and has a few good ideas, so all in all its a good book.

Read this one first!
Most nanotechnolgy books and articles start out with lots of hype to excite the reader, and then follow it up with a meandering discussion of how this might really be possible.This book was no exception.It did a good job of building up themes and exploring them in detail.The treatment of "utility fog" was extremely well done, as was the discussion of a "holodeck" type image technology.

The language and style is easily accessible to those with a basic science education, and it was refreshing that this book avoided the doomsday predictions of nanotechnology and kept the unbounded prediction for when this will all happen to a minimum.

Published in 1996, the content of this book is a good introduction, but is in danger of becoming dated due to the fast moving nature of this field.This might be the first nanotechnology book to read, but not the last for a true fan of the topic.This book might not be for you, if you've been able to read Nanosystems by K. Eric Drexler, but if you want an entertaining walk through visions of future technology, check this one out.

Entertaining, sometimes thought-provoking, futurist essays
The opening chapter, written by editor Crandall, is a good, necessarily cursory, summation of nanotechnology at the time of publication.The inclusion of a long list of web sites with up-to-date information is awelcome way to keep the material fresh.

If you're looking to getserious and read a discussion of recent research, look elsewhere. Theremaining chapters fall into the realm of pure speculation, where futuristspractice the fine art of making guesses to which no one will hold them.

Ultimately, it is exactly this light-heartedness and high-level thoughtexperimentation that makes the book a good weekend's read. Enjoy it the wayyou would enjoy a work of science fiction with its technology premisesolidly rooted in today's understanding of the universe.

If you enjoythis kind of reading, I would strongly encourage you to read _The DiamondAge_ by Neal Stephenson.

The Premier Technology of the 21st Century.
Nanotechnology, The Premier Technology of the 21st Century, is about building things atom by atom like biology does.
About making extraordinary things from ordinary mater (see http://planet-hawaii.com/nanozine/WHATNANO.HTM).

After reading nanotechnology, Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance (The MIT Press), I found an ancient bottle washed ashore by the tide.
I popped the top and to my surprise, a Green Genie materialized before my eyes.
You have three wishesboomed the Arabian aberration.
Cool.
Ill have nanotechnology.And your other two wishes?And to his surprise I said, Pack up and join the ether. Who needs magic if you have atomic precision chemistry.
This attitude is amply backed up by the stream of authors and their thoughts presented in BC Crandalls latest work.

Prepare for anew wave of startling ideas written by a group of the Worlds foremost nanotechnologist.
Attention Nano Venture Capitalists.
This is the info you are looking for.
Read and profit.
Now a summery of the authors and their chapters:

1. Molecular engineering.
BC Crandall, the books editor, founder of Molecular Realities, Memetic Engineering and co-founder of Prime Arithmetics inc., starts the work with a thorough intro to the concept beginning with an explanation of the atom, the workings of chemistry and self assembling natural machines like DNA in a style comfortably accessible to the uninitiated layperson.
Then Crandall moves on to A Genealogy of Nanotechnology. How ideas and discoveries of the past, (the study of artificial life concepts, the invention of scanning tunneling microscopes, walking molecules) have transported science to the brink of this incredible power.
Excellent and mandatory background information.

2. In-Vivo Nanoscope and the Two-Week Revolution.

Ted Kaehler of Apple Computer, has a two part chapterthat sheds a calibrating light on the time table and extreme complexity of developing nanotechnology through the eyes of a computer scientist (Carnegie-Mellon) with a physics background (Stanford).
Kaehler argues that a great deal of early nano (preassembler) devices must be developed and understood before moving on.
His example in part one of his chapter is an early nano-like multi-purpose bioprobe unobtrusively investigating the immune system in a living organism.
This device is connected to desk top computers in a normal lab scene.
This is early nanotechnology.
The bioprobe was extremely expensive to hand craft (no assemblers yet exist).
The information from the experiment is richly rewarding and will be added to a massive library of knowledge needed to make the sophisticated cell repair machines of a mature nanofuture.
Venture capitalist:There will be many steps to mature nanotechnology that need financing and because of the novel utility of these breakthroughs, such first on the block investments should produce fabulous returns.

Kaehler goes on to explain away the myth of the Two-Week Revolution, referring to the concept that very shortly after the building of the first self replicating assembler, every nanotechnology idea conceived and nanotech product would spread across the planet and into space like wild fire.Arguing from the experience of complex systems builders, Kaehler predicts that lots of debugging and product cycle improvement are inevitable.
The two-week revolution will not happen.
Two weeks after the first assembler works, it will be in the shop for repairs.
And not many of the things that it builds in those two weeks will work either.
The pervasive use of assemblers in our lives depends on the development of several new fields of study and entire new layers of infrastructures.
It will be a human endeavor operating at human speeds.It wont happen without thousands of cycles of experimental feedback, and it wont happen in the first two weeks.
Good news for society as we will have, mercifully, more time to adapt.
(Good sources tell me, he argues the other side as well, that while it won't be 2 weeks, it won't be all that long either, especially with good design ahead.)

3.Cosmetic Nanosurgery

Former senior editor at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories prestigious monthly, Energy and Technology Review , Richard Crawford blows the doors off the $18 + Billion Cosmetic industry, showing how even early nanotechnology can actually deliver on the bogus promises made today by copywriters for their big business Oil of Old Lady clients.
He shows relatively simple designs for early nanodevices that change hair color, texture and skin color (I would love a tan in the winter!).
No more bitter baldness for male and female.Cast off unwanted facial and body hair.Such would be converted into CO2, H2O and sulfur crystals at the source.<

>Enjoy wrinkle repair, full body tight skin well before the assembler.
Later, with cell repair machines working at the molecular level, full body makeover.
Look completely different every month.Shock your friends by morphing into a Klingon.

Alas, there is a bleak, dark side, the sleazy underbelly of this nanotechnology utilization:Inevitably, there will be people who dont know how to leave well enough alone.
Many who never liked their own youthful appearance will opt instead to copy some popular model or other sex symbol.
It could become very confusing, with dozens of pop-idol look-alikes crowding the parks and boulevards of our future metropolis.
Some may relish the prospect, but we may never see the last of the Elvis clones.
(Oh..My...God..!What did I do in a past life to be sent to this Universe?)

4.Diamond Teeth

Famed nano D.D.S. Edward M. Reifman also has a B.S. in mechanical engineering, magna cum laude, and an M.S. in biomedical engineering. After graduation and before obtaining his D.D.S., Reifman went to work for Hughes Aircraft designing communications satellites.(Makes sense.)

As a warm up for early, then sophisticated nanotechnology, the Dr. offers some really advanced dental tech like a CAD-CAM system with a fiber optic wand to quickly take 3D measurements of a tooth to be capped and a portable milling machine to make perfect caps on the spot.
On to early nano and a hand held (Tricorder like) PET scanner that not only sees in 3D, but detects abnormal bone and gum densities, all vessels, and specific sites where further tooth or jawbone loss will likely occur.Then early nanites are introduced to rebuild problem areas.

Nanotechnology will deliver the holy grail of dentistry: long-lasting, cavity-free teeth.Advanced nanotechnology will deliver another coup:arresting or neutralizing the genetics behind a degenerating, aging jawline.
We could eventually see the replacement of the entire jaw and teeth with diamondoid matrix.
But why stop there?We can expand this approach to improve or replace the bodys entire skeletal structure.

5. Early Applications

Harry Chesley is a senior software architect at Macromedia, formally with Apple Computer and SRI International.
He has designed code for 25 years. Chesley presents a nuts and bolts presentation on building nanomachines.
Scale, shape, and energy needs are included.
You can get a real physical grasp of how these hypothetical mechanical marvels come together.Like all machines, they are built fromcomponents. Each machine needs storage and computing facilities.It seems that it will be possible to build a 1,000 MIPS (million instructions per second) molecular computer that fits inside a cube 0.4 microns (millionths of a meter) on a side.
This is roughly 1,000 times the computing power of todays personal computers.

But now on to the fun stuff.In his An Opening Selection,Chesley offers a long delightful list of early applications, some of which I present for your enjoyment:

-Board games with billions of moving parts, allowing economic, logistical, and military games with incredible depth of simulation.
-Full-wall speakers for people ... Read more

Product Description

Contributions reporting on fundamental and applied investigations of the material science, biochemistry, and physics of biomedical microdevices with applications to Genomics and Proteomics. Topics include gene expression profiling utilizing microarray technology; imaging and sensing for gene detection and use in DNA analysis; and coverage of advanced microfluidic devices and the Humane Genome Project.

Book Description
This brilliant work heralds the new age of nanotechnology, which will give us thorough and inexpensive control of the structure of matter.  Drexler examines the enormous implications of these developments for medicine, the economy, and the environment, and makes astounding yet well-founded projections for the future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Watershed book on the transhumanist movement
Engines of Creation describes the foundations of and the issues surrounding humankind's increasing potential for building molecular machines. (Indeed as we stand here on the verge of 2008, notable accomplishments in nanotechnology continue to be made.) Drexler's "starter kit" comprises what he calls "universal assemblers," which are nanomachines designed for a simple task, such as replacing defective genetic links with healthful ones or bonding one cellular structure to another.

...I'm impressed with what the author and his peers have deeply pondered on preventing nanotechnological disasters, either from accident or from conscious intention of some malefactor. When one realizes a technology that can terraform planets can also readily destroy them... and us, one becomes a bit careful in how the technology is handled. The entire Part 3 of Drexler's book, "Engines of Destruction," is devoted to this issue.

...

For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
reviews, please visit my site [...]

Brian Wright
Copyright 2007

Nano Technology
This book was ordered as a gift. I bought the book years ago and was so impressed with it I've purchased several as gifts.

too bad it's all balderdash
It's been twenty years.Over 50 million bucks have been spent on Nanotechnology, and not a single useful thing has come of it.

Drexler writes really gee-whizzy stuff, but he's basically selling snake oil.Anybody with the basic clue about the law of scale can see most of the nanotech concepts are basically impossible.Meachnical devices can't be scaled down much below the millimeter level-- the basic laws of scale, friction, surface tension, charge, and materials disallows it.So Nanotech guys make microscopic "gears", but no shafts.Shafts, but no gears."Motors" that can't turn anything. A 5x5 atomic checkerboard, a factor of 100 billion too small to be useful. And so on, and so forth.

It's a clever book, but basically intellectually dishonest.Drexler went on to raise $20 million in venture capital and blew it all.That should give one pause when compared to the "limitless horizons" extolled in this book.

Definitely a provocative read!
I read this book a number of years ago, and it still has a special place in my canon of books on technology and humanity. This is an engaging and lucid look at the future potential, and dangers, of miniturization, nano-scale physics and science meeting together in the form of nanotechnology.

The ideas of molecular construction and deconstruction are truly intriguing and scary. Imagine being disassembled molecule by molecule by a nanoconstructor. Or, the idea of creating a crystal rocket out of pure atoms. This book is full of ideas and potentiality, and the ethical questions are perhaps just the tip of this literary iceberg.

A great read for anyone interested in future technology and how science and technology are fusing on the cutting edge of reality. You don't need to be a quantum physicist or even a PhD to enojy this book. I read it as an undergrad in college and had a good time with it. It even inspired a sci-fi/fantasy book still in progress.

The basement of a new science
Eric Drexler is one of those pionieristic scientists who have the gift of tracing visions of future science, without falling in the science-fiction temptations.

Presently, owed to his uncontrasted expertise in the emerging field of nanotechnology, he stands virtually in any conference or new publication about the field.

"Engines of Creation" is the fundamental book in which, starting from the early days of Von Neumann's and Feynman's audacious postulates, the nanotechnology moved ever longer and firmer steps in the leading-edge science panorama.

Even if some passages about the development of AI are clearly outdated (the edition under reviewing dates the 1990s), just like all the fundamental documents of a new science, the book deserves the deeper attention from incipit to end, and it's an unavoidable reading for any scientist or science fan.

Fantastic and so real. ... Read more

Book Description
Although nanotechnology deals with the very small-the art and science of manipulating and rearranging individual molecules to create useful materials, devices, and systems-its impact on business will be very big. Within a decade, nanotechnology should account for $1 trillion worth of products in the United States alone.

This groundbreaking book provides you with: