Nano Assembly is a sub topic of Nano technology, the study and fabrication of structures 1-100 nanometers in size. For billions of years nature has constructed many different nano structures from nano assemblers. Ribosome’s, for instance, are nano machine tools. They follow instructions from messenger RNA to assemble complex proteins, and cells use random, Brownian motion, the weak atomic force, and the Van der Waal’s force to assemble complex structures from atoms and molecules. Man has imitated and used nature with some success to construct bio and bio- man made hybrid structures.
He now uses such techniques as spontaneous molecular self assembly to produce films, fibers, stain resistant clothing, and circuit elements. He uses such natural assembly techniques as random thermal motion, the weak atomic force, and the Van der Waal’s force, just as nature does, to produce the micro and macro structures just mentioned.
Nano assembly shows great promise in computing. The nano world is precise, because atoms are discreet entities, and at small scales these discreet elements mean precision, for nano structures have relatively few atoms, so they have to have discreet size and characteristics. Such techniques as the afor mentioned self assembly, and even placing atoms in a precise order using an atomic force microscope, will allow the fabrication of electronic and memory elements of great precision. It is now believed a computer C.P.U. could be built that would be one micrometer in volume consume about 0.1 micro watt of power, and perform one billion instructions per second.
In the future machines of a scale of from 1 to 100 nanometers will assemble structures atom by atom, molecule by molecule. It is conceivable that machines that build others like themselves will construct food, automobiles, electrical devises ect. From cheap bulk materials. A car might then cost $300, a passenger jet $10,000. One would have to assemble the necessary elements together, but then self replicating Nano machines could build molecules and assemble them according to a master program to produce complex, valuable products. The assemblers could be instructed by radio transmission.
I feel nano assembly will eliminate poverty, and make hunger a thing of the past.
Sources: M Meyyappon Nanotechnology in Access Science@ Mc Graw Hill, The Nanotech pioneers.
