What is molecular manufacturing?
There are only about 100 kinds of atoms in all the Universe, and whether these atoms form trees or tires. ashes or animals, water or the air we breath. depends on how they are put together. The controlled manipulation of individual atoms and nolecules (molecular-scale engineering) will completely change the world, and everything in it.. including the human evolutionary path. Soon after Nanotechnology is adequately developed, we will face a technological Singulairty. We now have within our grasp the ability to arbitrarily alter matter to any form we wish… and the final implications are literally beyond human’ comprehension. Once you understand the concept, you will be awed, shocked, and maybe more than a little concerned! It is by far the most powerful technology our species has obtained, completely eclipsing any previous technology. “Nanotech” is our future, and it has already begun! Marcus Hewat, computer scientist Molecular nanotechnology (MNT) is the concept of engineering functio
Molecular manufacturing is the name given to a specific type of “bottom-up” construction technology. As its name implies, molecular manufacturing will be achieved when we are able to build things from the molecule up, and we will be able to rearrange matter with atomic precision. This technology does not yet exist; but once it does, we should have a thorough and inexpensive system for controlling of the structure of matter. Other terms, such as molecular engineering or productive molecular nanosystems, are also often applied when describing this emerging technology. The central thesis of nanotechnology is that almost any chemically stable structure that is not specifically disallowed by the laws of physics can in fact be built. The possibility of building things with atomic precision was first introduced by Richard Feynman in a famous after-dinner talk in 1959 when he said: “The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom
This volume describes the fundamental principles of molecular machinery and applies them to nanomechanical devices and systems, including molecular manufacturing systems and computers. At present, however, these are unfamiliar topics. New fields often need new terms to describe their characteristic features, and so it may be excusable to begin with a few definitions: Molecular manufacturing is the construction of objects to complex, atomic specifications using sequences of chemical reactions directed by nonbiological molecular machinery. Molecular nanotechnology comprises molecular manufacturing together with its techniques, its products, and their design and analysis; it describes the field as a whole. Mechanosynthesis mechanically guided chemical synthesis is fundamental to molecular manufacturing: it guides chemical reactions on an atomic scale by means other than the local °steric * and electronic properties of the ° reagents; it is thus distinct from (for example) enzymatic proces
Molecular manufacturing is the hypothetical future use of reprogrammable nanoscale “assemblers” to build products atom by atom. A molecular assembler would be a nanoscale robotic manipulator capable of placing single atoms, for example carbon, onto a surface with atomic precision. An everyday person would experience this technology in the form of a “nanofactory,” a self-contained desktop molecular manufacturing unit that uses a purified feedstock material, such as propane gas. For a molecular assembler to be useful to humans, it would have to be able to make copies of itself. Otherwise, it would take too long for a single assembler to build anything of significant size or value. If a large array of assemblers could be made to cooperate, they could construct macroscale products with atomic precision, using a fully automated process with high throughput. This is significant enough that, if the technical obstacles are overcome, the technology would launch another Industrial Revolution, pr
If you’re a Star Trek fan, you remember the replicator, a device that could produce anything from a space age guitar to a cup of Earl Grey tea. Your favorite character just programmed the replicator, and whatever he or she wanted appeared. Researchers are working on developing a method called molecular manufacturing that may someday make the Star Trek replicator a reality. The gadget these folks envision is called a molecular fabricator; this device would use tiny manipulators to position atoms and molecules to build an object as complex as a desktop computer. As shown in this video, researchers believe that raw materials can be used to reproduce almost any inanimate object using this method. By building an object atom by atom or molecule by molecule, molecular manufacturing, also called molecular nanotechnology, can produce new materials with improved performance over existing materials. For example, an airplane strut must be very strong, but also lightweight. A molecular fabricator c
