Nanocosm: Nanotechnology and the Big Changes Coming from the Inconceivably Small

by William Illsey Atkinson

Book Overview

"Imagine: you're looking down at the Earth from space. Oceans and continents blur as the planet transforms into one bright blue ball. And it doesn't stop with our own solar system. There are just as... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814471811
• ISBN13: 9780814471814
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Amacom
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

I found the book interesting and entertaining.

Lower, Slower, and Smaller. Eric Dexler books helped envision the future of nanotechnology: 1. Nanosystem: Molecular Machinery, Manfacturing, and Computation. 2. Engines of Creation 3. Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance. All technology is in a sense nanotechnology. Carbon Nanotubes may soon create supercomputers the size of a fleck of dust. Macro carbon nanotube applications would be able to support the Golden Gate bridge with a cable no thicker than a pencil. The nanobased world of tomorrow will not be totally unrecognizable. Nanotechnology is still bound by physical and marketing limits. NanoWorld 2015. In 2015, Medication is delivered by synthetic molecules called dendrites. Medical dosages are delivered inside the target cell. 2015, dustbot 70 nm robots powered by ATP flagellate motor break down dust into carbon dioxide and trace elements. The nanobots will be capable of self-replication and are reprogrammable increasing their usefulness. 2015, new nano composite diesel engines will reduce energy production costs through unique engine design. The new diesel engine could burn oil sludge without processing through a refinery. The cylinder wall will be two millimeters thick with 1,400 Celsius and fifty atmosphere on the inside. Nanoscience trends in world research. Dr. Simon Haykin thinks about reducing energy requirements and size dimensions for CPU chips. "It's obvious to me that miniaturization, as a route to hardware innovation, is a dead-end street. It's given us some noteworthy achievements, but now its run smack up against its ultimate limitations." A brain has logic gates called neurons that operate a million times slower than a computer logic gate and burns ten billion times less power than a microtransistor logic gate. The computation model of the brain is massively parrellel and great quantities of neurons chew through problems from many different directions at the same time. In 1994-95 the Teramac massively parallel computer was built. Its designers built in over 200,000 hardware defects, any which would have failed in a serial computing Von Neumann designed machine. "Yet the Termac consistently operates two orders of magnitude faster than the fastest single processor commercial workstation". Teramac uses paths and components alternative to the damaged ones. "You can view neurons as unreliable components if you like. And individually, they are. They're rather messy things. But that doesn't matter, because there are so many of them." Nanotechnology trends in World development. "In 1997, aggregate U.S. spending for both government and private-sector nanoscience was approximately $400 million. In 2001, it was three times the level; in 2002, the aggregate gain approached 450 percent." In 2001, the US government budgeted $422 million for nanoscience R & D. Cool Chips Inc brings one of the first nanotechnology applications to the market. Solid state wafers can be inserted on top of solid-

Nanatechnology: Real and Now!

Did you know that President Bush recently announced that $500 million would go to the National Nanotechnology Initiative? And that nano-technology is now considered one of the top 10 technologies that will change our lives? In this new book, William Illsey Atkinson delivers us to the world of the future, the world of incredible innovations in the fields of medicine, computing and engineering - the world of nanotechnology. Now, when we talk about nanotechnology, we are talking small (really small, smaller-than-an-atom small). The book talks about what will happen once we get more prolific in working with this tiny technology, and how we will actually produce nanotechnology machines that will produce even smaller machines. Actually, these machines are so small, molecules will produce them automatically. Are you overwhelmed yet? Read on - this gets better. The following are some of Atkinson's amazing projections (remember, this isn't science fiction, this is real stuff that's being developed as you read this). In two to five years, we can expect to see: Car tires that will need air only once a year Self assembly of small electronic parts (based on artificial DNA or guest host systems) Artificial semiconductors based on protein Complete medical diagnostic laboratories based on a single computer chip less than one inch square In five to 10 years, we can expect to see: Erasable/Rewritable paper for programmable books, magazines and newspapers Light, efficient ceramic car engines "Smart" buildings that self-stabilize after earthquakes and bombings Inexpensive solar power that heats and lights cities by using roads and building windows as sun collectors And in 10 to 15 years, we can expect to see: Paint-on computer and video displays Cosmetic nanotechnology, including permanent hair and teeth restoration Handheld super computers This book is just loaded with this kind of earth-shaking information. And the good news is that, for a science book, it reads like a best seller. If you want to get a clear glimpse into the future for all of us, make sure you give this one a read.

Loaded with fresh views of nanotechnology's future

William Illsey Atkinson's Nanocosm is an expert survey of nanotechnology and the big changes coming from small science advancements providing a series of eye-opening insights on the nature of scale and space. Nanoscience is the study of the infinitesimally small: the discoveries of nanotechnology and speculation of the nature of reality in a small, changed world make for a moving, involving title loaded with fresh views of nanotechnology's future.

Bullish on nano

As the hype-laden echoes of the "nano" revolution slowly fade into the background, research into nanotechnology has started to shift its focus from an "I wonder what happens if" phase to a "So what can I do with it?" phase. Journal pages are beginning to fill with the sober second thought of researchers who are trying to apply neat and tidy nanoconcepts to the messy worlds of physics, chemistry, and biology. In some cases, these scientists are making bold statements about the future, but more often, they are merely whispering about what we can do today. It is on behalf of this latter group that Bill Atkinson wrote Nanocosm. In Nanocosm, Atkinson brings his effusive and sometimes castigating style to the various fields of materials science, genomics, and business, and tries to separate the myth from the math in nanotechnology, traveling the globe to talk to the people on the front line of research and marketing. Atkinson starts his book with a short history of nanotechnology and a metric marathon from the macroscopic to the microscopic and beyond, trying to put the nano realm in its place. He also introduces some of the main characters who might be considered the progenitors of nanotechnology-specifically, Richard Feynman, who conceptually presented nanotechnology in his seminar "There's plenty of room at the bottom"; and Eric Drexler, the author of the first book about nanotechnology, Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation. By the third chapter, however, Atkinson begins to focus on what is happening today, starting with an analysis of materials science and its role as the foundation of nanotechnology. The next several chapters continue Atkinson's explorations into the practical realities of nanotechnology. In one section, he discusses the financial requirements of nanotech research, describing the effects of the Clinton initiative and how the dotcom implosion might actually have released funds that had previously been swallowed by Web and software development. In another section, Atkinson describes the use of quantum tunneling technology as a method to transfer waste heat and how research into microfluidics is changing the medical diagnostics industry. As Atkinson talks to the people on the front line, he discovers that one of the biggest challenges that will be faced by nanotech engineers is that the concept of "same only smaller" might not hold true. It was (and is) firmly believed by some researchers that moving from the microworld to the nanoworld simply required that everything become magnitudes smaller. But as theory becomes reality, researchers are finding that physical concepts largely ignored in the macroworld such as Brownian motion and van der Waals interactions become overwhelming challenges in the nanoworld. When you function at the size of an atom, a random photon can become a serious problem. Given these problems, nanotech engineers have to rewrite the design manuals. There are two challenges to reading Na

Witty, entertaining and extremely informative!

Nanotechnology has been mentioned in all sorts of places from Star Trek to Michael Chricton's Prey. While all that can be great fun, it doesn't give a true picture of what's actually happening in this emerging field. The author interviewed leading scientists and talks about their research. He also explain many applications of nanoscience that are really happening -- now or at least very, very soon. This is not science fiction -- it's top-notch science reporting from the front line. His writing is fun and full of wit. Complex concepts are made clear. If you're looking for bland, this is the wrong book for you. The author does not shy away from controversy for sure. But, if you want to learn about nanotechnology in an extremely readable, fun book, this is the right book for you.