Coming soon! Nanotech on your desktop Within 15 years, desktop
nanofactories could pump out anything from a new car to a novel
nanoweapon, says a technology commentator. And he warns that
society needs to start preparing for this brave new world. Mike
Treder from the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) in
New York says advanced nanotechnology, like these nanofactories,
could help solve world poverty but it could also wreak economic
and social chaos. "It's the biggest challenge we've ever faced
as a species," says Treder, who has been addressing scientists
in Australia this week. CRN is a non-profit organisation advised
among others by the so-called father of nanotechnology, Dr Eric
Drexler. The organisation says it aims to raise awareness about
the benefits and dangers of molecular manufacturing, the precise
assembly of products atom-by-atom. While molecular manufacturing
is not yet a reality, Treder says researchers are already
working on building molecular-scale machines that could
eventually move a