Nanotechnology and Society

Abstract

In this research we try to discover the insight of “Nanotechnology” in a holistic perspective. The key heart of the study is on “Nanotechnology” and its relation with “Society”. The research also examines various characteristics of “Nanotechnology” and tries to measure its effect. Lastly the research illustrates a variety of factors which are responsible for “Nanotechnology” and tries to describe the overall effect of it.

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Discussion1

Benefits Of Nanotechnology2

Science fiction or Fact3

Nanotechnology in Agriculture, Water, and Energy4

Human Enhancement4

Unintended Consequences of Nanotechnology5

Public Understanding of Nanotechnology6

Conclusion7

Nanotechnology and Society

Introduction

The word nano comes from the Greek nannos, or “dwarf.” One nanometer (nm) is one-billionth of a meter, or approximately 10 atoms of hydrogen in width. The size of an atom is at the 0.1 nm range. A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. And nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. However, given the popularity of the idea, both in fiction and in serious scientific writing, nanotechnology has been understood in a myriad of ways. Definitions fall into two categories—a technical definition that is concerned only with the properties of nanotechnology, or a wider one that includes the implications of nanotechnology. While a very simple and broad definition would be just measurement or visualization at the scale of 1 to 100 nm, a wider definition would include the control and restructuring of matter.

Discussion

The term nanotechnology was coined by the Japanese scientist Norio Taniguchi who, in 1974, defined nanotechnology as the processing of, separation, consolidation, and deformation of materials by one atom or by one molecule. In the 1980s, the word was popularized by K. Eric Drexler, who, in his book, Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, talked about the creation of molecular replicating machines, a few nanometers wide—motors, robot arms, and tiny computers more powerful than the most advanced machines of today.

Many have called nanotechnology the next industrial revolution. It is predicted to change the way we live, travel, eat, think, and interact with each other and with our environment. When dealing with such a radical change, it is not hard to imagine that there are many voices pushing nanoscience ahead and many other voices holding nanoscience back. People and organizations sharing the same viewpoints and seeking the same goals have come together to attempt to influence the future of nanoscience. Left to their own devices, competing social movements can cause divisions which prevent social progress. However, conscious effort is being undertaken to bring these debates out in the open to foster discourse. In this way, social movments are likely to affect the advancement and acceptance of nanoscience across various communities (Gutierrez, 2009).

Benefits of Nanotechnology

In this science, when searching for your application you can find countless uses, solutions too many problems of society, especially in the realm of medicine. If we see these technology developers such as science, we will always find uses for it, but we must not forget the consequences that we can bring them, this is already mentioned ...