How Will Nanotechnology Affect the Future?

Series Summary

The technology of tomorrow may be generated less by biotechnology itself than by nanotechnology, especially in the way that biotechnology and human nature work together. Nanotechnology holds tremendous promise. It refers to the manipulation of very small-scale matter; a nanometer is one billionth of a meter, and nano is generally used to mean work on matter at 100 nanometers and smaller. Just think that a human hair is only around 100,000 nanometers across. Many areas of science and many products are affected by nanotechnology. Already, many sunscreens contain nano-particles, and nano-materials are available that have unique properties to resist stains. Nanotechnology also presents moral and ethical issues as its uses include warfare, medical treatments and chemical compounds. In this free video series, the director of the California Institute of Nanotechnology will explain nanotechnology and its impact on space exploration, sports equipment, cancer treatment, artificial intelligence, warfare and computers. Nanotechnology is already present in many products available today. Watch this free video series and discover if some of these products may already be in your home.

Video Transcript

"Hello, this is Lloyd Tran. I'm the Director of the California Institute of Nanotechnology. The question is how does nanotechnology affect the future. I think this is a tremendous question because if talk about the future of nanotechnology is up to you, your imagination. Because nanotechnology is a very powerful tool, the ability to understand how thing works in a atomic level, an ability to design, to manipulate metals from the bottom up, give us a tremendous powerful flexibility; but also forward looking in the future. There are many things we can understand that nanotechnology have a tremendous impact from the way we design computer, I can imagine not too long in the future one can develop a computer laptop with the battery can last for many, many weeks, even months, you don't have to charge. The battery, the laptop, every day or two layn nowadays. And the screen can be perfectly clear because with the new nanotechnologies and ability to develop a nano crystal LCD, one can have a perfect screen. And not only, it have a bright, easy to see, not only clear, but also it light a new life and it non-scratching. So your computer screen no longer have to worry about the scratch or the dust stick on the computer screen like nowadays. There are many scientists try to explore the interactions between the neurons with each other and the neurons with the rest of the environment. And scientists have tried to implant a small computer chips inside the brain of a rat and they can measure the signal that the rat can give when the rat have a certain activities. So by understanding how the brain works, one can develop the way to manipulate it. For example, one can send a signal back to the rat, make the rat change the behavior from very sad, depress to very joyful and happy. And that's one example, nanotechnology can impact the future. Needless to say that, you know, a lot of people question about the ethical issues of applications of nano materials which have the impact to the behavior, to the way we did meditations. And believe that, with proper care, with proper utilities, one can develop a better products within the framework of moral framework and also within the framework of society acceptance and ethical issues. This is Lloyd Tran. I'm the Director of the California Institute of Nanotechnology."