Futuristic nanotech advances predicted in U.S. Congress report

By Dick Pelletier

     Nanotechnology: the Future is Coming Sooner Than You Think is the title of a Congressional report published in March, 2007 by Representative Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress.

     Authored by Georgetown University’s Dr. Joseph Kennedy and accepted by the 5 Democrat and 5 Republican committee members from both the House and Senate, the paper lists nanotech advances expected over the coming decades and how they might affect the economy and society. The report divides products and ideas into groups that fall into the following timeline:

• 2000-2005: Mostly passive nano products were developed in this period, including more effective sunscreens without the white cream appearance associated with traditional lotions; lighter-weight tennis rackets with nano-reinforced strings that improve play; and stain/water-resistant clothing that requires less maintenance.

• 2005-2010: Active nano products that change their state during use are typical for this group. These include materials that sense when a product is strained (such as dents in car bodies) and will automatically repair itself when damaged; materials that respond to sunlight by emitting an electrical charge, which can be used to power appliances; and clothing and other objects that change color and texture on command.

• 2010-2015: Nanomaterials that assemble themselves together to achieve a final goal will become available in this period. Applications include proteins or viruses that build small batteries, nanostructures that create a lattice on which bone or other tissues could grow, smart dust strewn over an area that sense the presence of humans and communicates their location, and devices that find and destroy cancer cells without harming neighboring tissues.

• 2015-2020: Advances expected during this time include systems that render hazardous materials harmless; nano-chemicals that enrich farmlands by placing correct amounts of oxygen and nutrients into the soil; nano-devices that roam the body to repair damaged cells, monitor vital conditions, and display health information on skin cells (in a format resembling temporary tattoos); and computers that receive commands directly from human thought.

It may also become possible in this timeframe for scientists, with a better understanding of biological systems, to design new tissues and organs using strategies superior to the ones that life uses as it arranges atoms and molecules to build plants, animals, and us. This, some predict, could launch new technologies that would change forever our notion of what is life.

• 2020 and Beyond: As the future continues to advance exponentially, science and technologies will race forward at near-infinite speeds. This point is referred to as the “Singularity,” which some define as a period when scientific advances aggressively assume their own momentum, resulting in the creation of sci-fi-like products and events. Possibilities by the 2030s could include far-reaching ideas such as one suggested by futurist Ray Kurzweil in his book, The Singularity is Near. Kurzweil says that humanity will one day transcend its biological limitations and gain abilities to interface directly with machines to absorb huge levels of intelligence created by powerful supercomputers.

     The report goes on to say, “Most of today’s problems including material scarcity, human health, and environmental degradation can be solved with tomorrow’s developing technologies.”

     Welcome to what promises to be an amazing “magical future.”

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.