Commentary on Nano
Notes and discussion about
Nano, the techno-thriller from
John
Robert Marlowe
(See links in bold for more
information on each topic.)
The technology that
inspired Nano is molecular
manufacturing: building machines out of engineered molecules. Although
the novel presents a fictionalized version, the real technology will be
powerful
enough to be extremely
dangerous
if not used wisely.
Molecular manufacturing is often thought to use only small machines, but in
fact it will be easier to fasten down the molecular manufacturing systems into a
nanofactory: a conveniently sized, fully automated appliance that can make
large as well as small products. The products will not need to replicate
themselves—it
will be more efficient to use nanofactories for production than to attach a tiny
factory to each product.
The products of nanofactories can include weapons of all sizes, amazingly
powerful computers, and replacements for much of today's infrastructure. The
benefits
can be extreme, but so can the risks. If one group develops molecular
manufacturing ahead of everyone else, a worldwide dictatorship appears to be a
significant possibility. If two competitive groups develop it around the same
time, a dangerously unstable
arms race could lead to devastating war.
Many other
problems could arise from widespread access to such a powerful technology.
Avoiding the worst of the dangers will require carefully crafted and wisely
implemented
policy—on
a global scale. As if this weren't hard enough, this policy will have to
be created and implemented before molecular manufacturing arrives,
because the technology will develop
too rapidly to allow
for an effective reaction. Panicked
policy will be bad policy, and could even create several new problems at once.
The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology is dedicated to raising awareness of
the need for wise nano policy, and is working to create the needed policy. We urge you
to join our network and to
support this vital work.
