So, in my lifetime we've gone from vacuum tubes to nanotubes. From the
CRNano blog:
Nanotube Radio We have constructed a fully functional, fully integrated radio receiver, orders-of-magnitude smaller than any previous radio, from a single carbon nanotube. The single nanotube serves, at once, as all major components of a radio: antenna, tuner, amplifier, and demodulator. Moreover, the antenna and tuner are implemented in a radically different manner than traditional radios, receiving signals via high frequency mechanical vibrations of the nanotube rather than through traditional electrical means.
We have already used the nanotube radio to receive and play music from FM radio transmissions such as Layla by Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominos) and the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations.
The nanotube radio's extremely small size could enable radical new applications such as radio controlled devices small enough to exist in the human bloodstream, or simply smaller, cheaper, and more efficient wireless devices such as cellular phones.
The line about "radio controlled devices small enough to exist in the human bloodstream" is interesting. Apparently, the researchers at
Berkeley are looking towards some of the
nanomedicine concepts that Eric Drexler wrote about in Engines of Creation.
Eric also cautioned about the misuse of nanotechnology. He discussed the possibility of 'mind-control devices' that could be implanted in human brains to control populations. These nanotube radios could also be a step in that direction.
That's a choice that has to be made. That's why I want progressives to get more involved in the dialogue on the use of nanotechnology.
Edit to add: I need to point out these nanotube devices are actually 'nanoscale' electronics; not true molecular nanotechnology.
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