COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Communication Technology

Communication and Technology

Introduction

A definite trend is the convergence of nanotechnology, modern biology, the digital revolution, and cognitive sciences that will bring about tremendous improvements in transformative tools, generate new products and services, and enable opportunities to meet and enhance human potential and social achievements. Converging technologies refers to the combination of new and relatively traditional technologies, at three different scales.

Discussion and Analysis

An early report on converging technologies recommended that “ethical, legal, moral, economic, environmental, workforce development, and other societal implications, must be addressed from the beginning, involving leading NBIC scientists and engineers, social scientists, and a broad coalition of professional and civic organizations.” It is better to address early the long-term issues related to revolutionary implications of converging technologies in a responsible, participatory, and science-driven (government-sponsored) framework, rather than try to adjust to developments later (Roco, 2009).

Science based on the unified concepts of matter at the nanoscale and of information and biosystems at all scales provides new foundations for knowledge creation, innovation, and technology integration. The “fusion” of technologies and their integration with human needs open new opportunities for science and engineering, innovation, and business to expand. A main, long-term concern is a possible instability in development. First, the transforming tools may create perturbations that could be difficult to control after the fact. Second, some perturbations might be created that affect the very foundations of life. Third, the systems enabled with converging technologies are complex and may exhibit emergent behavior. These possibilities underline the need for an anticipatory and adaptive governance approach.

Because of their transforming tools and opportunities, the importance of converging new technologies—and particularly of NBIC—has been recognized first by research and development (R&D) programs and has focused activities in the United States (since 2001), Japan, Korea, China, and Europe (since 2003). Public debates on NBIC opened in ...