Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at this length scale.

At the nanoscale, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ in fundamental and valuable ways from the properties of individual atoms and molecules or bulk matter. Nanotechnology R&D is directed toward understanding and creating improved materials, devices, and systems that exploit these new properties.  

Here are some quotes given by experts:

In March 1949, Popular Mechanics described the latest number cruncher: "Where a calculator like the Eniac is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 tubes and perhaps only weigh one and a half tons."

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"With nanotechnology we'll be able to build surgical tools that are molecular, both in their size and in their precision. For the first time we'll be able to intervene at the scale where the damage actually occurs and to reverse that injury." Dr. Ralph Merkle, Researcher in Nanotechnology at Xerox Park.

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"Man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft - and the only one that can be mass produced with unskilled labor. " Werner von Braun

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"Organic Chemistry: The practice of transmutting vile substances into publications." from The Last Word - The Ultimate Scientific Dictionary. Brought to our attention by Jesus M. Castagnetto Mizuaray, Dept of Chemistry, NYU.

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NANOROBOTICS

Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at or close to the scale of a nanometre (10^-9 metres). More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the still largely theoretical nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots. Nanorobots (nanobots or nanoids) are typically devices ranging in size from 0.1-10 micrometres and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. As no artificial non-biological nanorobots have so far been created, they remain a hypothetical concept at this time.

Another definition sometimes used is a robot which allows precision interactions with nanoscale objects, or can manipulate with nanoscale resolution. Following this definition even a large apparatus such as an Atomic force microscope can be considered a nanorobotic instrument when configured to perform nanomanipulation. Also, macroscale robots or microrobots which can move with nanoscale precision can also be considered nanorobots.

The problem under study concentrates its main focus on nanorobot control design for assembly manipulation and the use of evolutionary agents as a suitable way to enable the robustness on the proposed model. Thereby the presented works summarize as well distinct aspects of some techniques required to achieve a successful nano-planning system design and its 3D simulation visualization in real time.