By far the most interesting future of the nanotechnological world involves nanorobotics, the creation of miniature robots that will respond to stimuli, move, communicate, an work together, adapt to the environment, repair, and even replicate themselves.

Thus far, basic nanomachines (nanoscaled artificial electromechanical devices used to perform specific functions) are already in use. Researchers at Rice University have already built a molecular nanocar with buckyballs as wheels. Furthermore, a sensor with a switch 15 nm across can already count the specific number of molecules in a chemical sample. In 2004, the New York University chemist Nadrian Seeman and his post-doctorate built the first nanobot walker out of single DNA strands. The existence of these minute nanomachines is merely a precursor of what nanotechnology could evolve into in the future.

Nanomedicine

The most commonly hypothesized application of nanorobotics is to medicine. Nanomedicine, as the combination of nanotechnology to medicine is named, will allow for the building of nanorobots to play an important role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of illness. In fact, there has already been testing of “laboratories on a chip” that can perform in vivo (inside the body) tests to provide doctors with the patient’s condition.

It is also theorized that nanorobots can be made into devices resembling artificial white-blood cells that will play a role in the immune system. Furthermore, nanorobots can also be programmed to repair body tissue and monitor body functions.

Research has also been conducted in showing that nanorobotics can aid in the reparation of neurological and bone damage although the precise roles they will play is still unclear.

In surgery, nanorobots will also have an important role. Because of their size, nanorobots will be able to interact with the patient on the molecular level thus, are able to more readily to meet the needs of each unique patient. It is very possible in the near future that surgery may shift to the nanoscale.

Nanopharmacology

Moreover, nanorobots may also be used as targeted pharmaceutical delivery system. A nanorobot could be injected into the bloodstream carrying a drug that would only be released when the nanorobot has reached a specific destination. In this manner, the side effects caused when the drug affects other parts of the body can be minimized and since most, if not all, of the drug reaches its specified target, the effectiveness of the drug can be increased by the dosage if the drug is decreased.

Environment

Another important future role for nanorobots may involve the detection of toxic chemicals in the environment including drinking water, air etc. and biological hazards such as radiation. Furthermore, in addition to detection, they may also be programmed to fix the problem by releasing certain chemicals even removing the contaminating chemicals from the polluted environment.

How Soon?

Some scientists say half a century. Others say a decade. It is hard to actually give an exact date. For example, looking in retrospect, historians may accurately say that the Era of Canals in America began in the 1820s and ended around the 1860s. However, while the people who lived during that time certainly noticed an improvement in transportation, it would be very difficult for them to classify their own time as the Era of Canals. The same principle can be applied to the Transcendentalist writers. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emily Dickinson certainly had different styles of writing. They did not classify themselves as transcendentalists. It was only afterwards that others lumped them together to create a uniform group with the name Transcendentalists. This very same principle can also be applied to nanotechnology. Who know? Maybe tomorrow, we will wake up and find ourselves surrounded by a swarm of nanotechnology. And then, maybe we can ask ourselves whether this was the beginning of a new era or the end of an old era or both.