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Science fiction to reality for 'Star Trek' probes
STAR Trek-style technology which could transform the future of mankind is set to become the next political battleground, according to Sheffield University experts.
Nanotechnology – the science of creating machines and materials the size of molecules – could become as controversial as GM food, says a new report.
The problem, according to the team led by Professor Stephen Wood, is that the debate on the issue has already become highly divided.
Supporters say nanotechnology will cure disease, slow or even prevent the ageing process and eliminate pollution.
Opponents say the world and its fragile ecological balance could be destroyed by out of control, self-replicating micro-robots.
But both sides agree the technology is about to explode into a multi-billion dollar industry over the next decade.
Professor Wood said it was right that there should be a debate.
"But the debate at the moment is being framed wrongly and in extreme ways," he said.
Nanotechnology-derived products are already beginning to appear on the market – and some experts believe that their development will compare to the continuing IT revolution.
An American company has put nano-trousers on sale – slacks that are stain and wrinkle resistant due to billions of particles which create a thin cushion of air above the fabric. Shirts and jackets are to follow and the next development could be furniture fabric.
Other early applications are tennis balls that bounce longer, more effective sunscreens and improved digital cameras.
'Smart' packaging is also on the way, which can tell customers how fresh the food inside is.
But scientists are predicting this is just the beginning, forecasting such marvels as micro-robots which could cruise the human bloodstream looking for early signs of disease.
Others could hunt down and dismantle toxic chemicals, making safe environments thought to be irreversibly polluted.
Work is already under way on nanochips to monitor blood sugar levels in diabetics, army uniforms that can treat wounds and self-cleaning glass.
Professor Wood said scaling down machines could have unpredictable effects.
"Computers could become extensions of the human body. Nerve impulses could be translated directly into computer inputs.
"There is even speculation that advanced technologies will eventually allow us to upload our minds into computers, giving us immortality and survival without biological roots," he said.
Most of the early applications had been fairly mundane and so had not captured the public imagination, the Professor said.
Perhaps the best-known beneficiary of nanotechology to date has been the Star Trek's Seven of Nine, a half-human half-cyborg character regenerated and repaired by internal 'nanoprobes.'
"Even the scientists who are just getting on with the job can see some pretty radical things coming out of this," Professor Wood said.
"We may for example be able to break away from fossil fuel energy through a combination of solar cells, hydrogen storage and so on."
Professor Wood said he did not personally subscribe to the micro-robot armageddon scenario.
"They will never be self-replicating, because humans will always be in control of the situation," he said.
"But the interface between living things and artefacts will change. It may change people's concepts. There are things we should really be worrying about."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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