NANOROBOTICS

NANOROBOTICS DEPT. OF ISE

Abstract

Nanotechnology(sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the manipulation of matter on anatomic,molecular, andsupramolecularscale. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnologyreferred to the particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabrication of macroscale products, also now referred to asmolecular nanotechnology. A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established by theNational Nanotechnology Initiative, which defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100nanometers. This definition reflects the fact thatquantum mechanicaleffects are important at thisquantum-realmscale, and so the definition shifted from a particular technological goal to a research category inclusive of all types of research and technologies that deal with the special properties of matter that occur below the given size threshold. It is therefore common to see the plural form "nanotechnologies" as well as "nanoscale technologies" to refer to the broad range of research and applications whose common trait is size.Nanorobots are theoretical microscopic devices measured on the scale of nanometers (1nm equals one millionth of 1 millimeter). Nanomedicine's nanorobots are so tiny that they can easily traverse the human body. Scientists report the exterior of a nanorobot will likely be constructed of carbon atoms in a diamondoid structure because of its inert properties and strength. Super-smooth surfaces will lessen the likelihood of triggering the body's immune system, allowing the nanorobots to go about their business unimpeded. Glucose or natural body sugars and oxygen might be a source for propulsion and the nanorobot will have other biochemical or molecular parts depending on its task. [Nanotechnology is so new that no one is really sure what will come out of it. Even so, predictions range from the ability to reproduce things like diamonds and food to the world being devoured by self-replicating nanorobots. Many new nanotechnology research fields require a high degree of precision in both observing and manipulating materials at the atomic level. The advanced nanorobotics technology needed to manipulate materials at this scale, a million times smaller than a grain of sand, is being developed .The integration of different technologies to act as simultaneous real-time nanoscale `eyes and `hands, including the advanced nanorobotics, high-resolution ion/electron microscopy, image processing/vision control and sophisticated sensors, will be the key to realising such nanomanipulation.

Introduction

NANOTECHNOLOGY

The birth of nanotechnology is often associated with the talk given by Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman entitled Theres Plenty of Room at the Bottom (Feynman, 1959). In this talk, Feynman discusses the possibilities (i.e., in principle) of what is now commonly referred to as nanotechnology and how its advancement could potentially generate an enormous number of technical applications.Nanotechnology has been defined as a description of activities at the level of atoms and molecules that have applications in the real world. Nanotechnology comprises technological developments on the nanometer scale, usually on the order of 0.1 to 100 nm. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter (1 nm = 10-9 m). For a perspective of this scale at the atomic level, a hydrogen atoms diameter is on the order of an ngstrm (1 = 0.1 nm). Thus, ten hydrogen atoms laid side by side would measure a distance of about 1 nm across. Nanotechnology is necessarily a multidisciplinary field which encompasses and draws from the knowledge of several diverse technological fields of study including chemistry, physics, molecular biology, material science, computer science, and engineering .Advances in the field of nanotechnology have expanded the breadth of potential applications tremendously in recent years. The nanotechnology research and development (R&D) areas have been growing rapidly throughout the world. The nanotechnology R&D investment reported by government organizations around the world has increased from approximately $432 million in 1997 to about $3 billion in 2003 alone. At least 30 countries have initiated national activities in this field. Although nanotechnology is currently still considered to be in the precompetitive stage, the worldwide annual industrial production in the nanotechnology sectors is estimated to exceed $1 trillion in 10 to 15 years, which would require about 2 million nanotechnology workers.Although its applied use is still limited, nanotechnology has already begun to appear in various applications and products, namely nanomaterials. According to information provided by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) website, nanomaterials are being used in a number of industries to improve product functionality for electronic, magnetic, optoelectronic, biomedical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, energy, catalytic, and materials applications. In addition, it has been reported that the areas currently producing the greatest revenue are the use of nanoparticles for chemical-mechanical polishing, magnetic recording tapes, sunscreens, automotive catalysts, biolabeling, electroconductive coatings, and optical fibers. Although still considered to be in its infancy, breakthroughs in nanotechnology are expected to facilitate the development of other advanced applications in nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, nanomaterials (e.g. nanocomposites), nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), and nanorobotics.It is of particular interest to the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center (ISRC) to determine its role in the growing field of nanotechnology. Naturally and more specifically, the field of nanorobotics is the most pertinent topic of interest to the ISRC and is discussed in greater detail in this report. NANOROBOTIC

Nanorobotics, sometimes referred to as molecular robotics, is an emerging research area as evidenced by recent topics in the literature. In general, nanorobotics carries a variety of definitions throughout the literature. Consequently, the field of nanorobotics can be generally divided into two main focus areas.The first area deals with the design, simulation, control, and coordination of robots with nanoscale dimensions (i.e., nanorobots). Nanorobots, nanomachines, and other nanosystems are objects with overall dimensions at or below the micrometer range and are made of assemblies of nanoscale components with individual dimensions ranging approximately between 1 to 100 nm. Much of the research conducted in this area remains highly theoretical at the present, primarily because of the difficulties in fabricating such devices. Although artificial nanorobots do not yet exist, natures biological nanorobotic systems do exist and provide evidence that such systems are at least possible. As a result, nanorobots have for the most part been explored in the biological context of nanomedicine.The second area deals with the manipulation and/or assembly of nanoscale components with macroscale instruments or robots (i.e., nanomanipulators). Due to the advances in nanotechnology and its rapidly growing number of potential applications, it is evident that practical technologies for the manipulation and assembly of nanoscale structures into functional nanodevices need to be developed. Nanomanipulation and nanoassembly may also play a crucial role in the development of artificial nanorobots themselves. Nanorobots would constitute any passive or active structure (nano scale) capable of actuation, sensing, signaling, information processing, intelligence, swarm behavior at nano scale.These functionalities could be illustrated individually or in combinations by a nano robot (swarm intelligence and co-operative behavior). So, there could be a whole genre of actuation and sensing or information processing nano robots having ability to interact and influence matter at the nano scale. Some of the characteristic abilities that are desirable for a nanorobot to function are: 1. Swarm Intelligence decentralization and distributive intelligence 2. Cooperative behavior emergent and evolutionary behavior 3. Self assembly and replication assemblage at nano scale and nano maintenance 4. Nano Information processing and programmability for programming and controlling nanorobots (autonomous nanorobots) 5. Nano to macro world interface architecture an architecture enabling instant access to the nanorobots and its control and maintenance

There are many differences between macro and nano-scale robots. However, they occur mainly in the basic laws that govern their dynamics. Macro scaled robots are essentially in the Newtonian mechanics domain whereas the laws governing nanorobots are in the molecular quantum mechanics domain. Furthermore, uncertainty plays a crucial role in nanorobotic systems. The fundamental barrier for dealing with uncertainty at the nano scale is imposed by the quantum and the statistical mechanics and thermal excitations. For a certain nano system at some particular temperature, there are positional uncertainties, which cannot be modified or further reduced. The nanorobots are invisible to naked eye, which makes them hard to manipulate and work with. Techniques like Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) are being employed to establish a visual and haptic interface to enable us to sense the molecular structure of these nano scaled devices. Virtual Reality (VR) techniques are currently being explored in nano-science and bio-technology research as a way to enhance the operators perception (vision and haptics) by approaching more or less a state of full immersion or telepresence. The development of nanorobots or nano machine components presents difficult fabrication and control challenges. Such devices will operate in microenvironments whose physical properties differ from those encountered by conventional parts. Since these nano scale devices have not yet been fabricated, evaluating possible designs and control algorithms requires using theoretical estimates and virtual interfaces/environments. Such interfaces/simulations can operate at various levels of detail to trade-off physical accuracy, computational cost, number of components and the time over which the simulation follows the nano-object behaviors. They can enable nano-scientists to extend their eyes and hands into the nano-world and also enable new types of exploration and whole new classes of experiments in the biological and physical sciences. VR simulations can also be used to develop virtual assemblies of nano and bio-nano components into mobile linkages and predict their performance. Nanorobots are theoretical microscopic devices measured on the scale of nanometers (1nm equals one millionth of 1 millimeter). When fully realized from the hypothetical stage, they would work at the atomic, molecular and cellular level to perform tasks in both the medical and industrial fields that have heretofore been the stuff of science fiction. A few generations from now someone diagnosed with cancer might be offered a new alternative to chemotherapy, the traditional treatment of radiation that kills not just cancer cells but healthy human cells as well, causing hair loss, fatigue, nausea, depression, and a host of other symptoms. A doctor practicing nanomedicine would offer the patient an injection of a special type of nanorobot that would seek out cancer cells and destroy them, dispelling the disease at the source, leaving healthy cells untouched. The extent of the hardship to the patient would essentially be a prick to the arm. A person undergoing a nanorobotic treatment could expect to have no awareness of the molecular devices working inside them, other than rapid betterment of their health.Nanomedicine's nanorobots are so tiny that they can easily traverse the human body. Scientists report the exterior of a nanorobot will likely be constructed of carbon atoms in a diamondoid structure because of its inert properties and strength. Super-smooth surfaces will lessen the likelihood of triggering the body's immune system, allowing the nanorobots to go about their business unimpeded. Glucose or natural body sugars and oxygen might be a source for propulsion, and the nanorobot will have other biochemical or molecular parts depending on its task. According to current theories, nanorobots will possess at least rudimentary two-way communication; will respond to acoustic signals; and will be able to receive power or even re-programming instructions from an external source via sound waves. A network of special stationary nanorobots might be strategically positioned throughout the body, logging each active nanorobot as it passes, then reporting those results, allowing an interface to keep track of all of the devices in the body. A doctor could not only monitor a patient's progress but change the instructions of the nanorobots in vivo to progress to another stage of healing. When the task is completed, the nanorobots would be flushed from the body.The first generation of nanorobots will likely fulfill very simple tasks, becoming more sophisticated as the science progresses. They will be controlled not only through limited design functionality but also through programming and the aforementioned acoustic signaling, which can be used, notably, to turn the nanorobots off. Robert A. Freitas Jr., author of Nanomedicine, gives us an example of one type of medical nanorobot he has designed that would act as a red blood cell. It consists of carbon atoms in a diamond pattern to create what is basically a tiny, spherical pressurized tank, with "molecular sorting rotors" covering just over one-third of the surface. To make a rough analogy, these molecules would act like the paddles on a riverboat grabbing oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules, which they would then pass into the inner structure of the nanorobot. The entire nanorobot which Freitas dubbed a respirocyte, consists of 18-billion atoms and can hold up to 9-billion O2 and CO2 molecules, or just over 235 times the capacity of a human red blood cell. This increased capacity is made possible because of the diamond structure supports greater pressures than a human cell. Sensors on the nanorobot would trigger the molecular rotors to either release gasses, or collect them, depending on the needs of the surrounding tissues. A healthy dose of these nanorobots injected into a patient in solution, Freitas explains, would allow someone to comfortably sit underwater near the drain of the backyard pool for nearly four hours, or run at full speed for 15 minutes before taking a breath.While potential medical and even military applications seem obvious for this one simple type of nanorobot, implications for every-day life are also intriguing. Imagine scuba diving without tank or regulator, but a swarm of respirocytes in your bloodstream; or the 2030 Olympics when, perhaps, super-athletes will not be scanned for drugs, but for nanorobotic augmentation. Although nanorobots applied to medicine hold a wealth of promise from eradicating disease to reversing the aging process (wrinkles, loss of bone mass and age-related conditions are all treatable at the cellular level), nanorobots are also candidates for industrial applications. In great swarms they might clean the air of carbon dioxide, repair the hole in the ozone, scrub the water of pollutants, and restore our ecosystems. Early theories in The Engines Of Creation (1986), by "the father of nanotechnology," Eric Drexler, envisioned nanorobots as self-replicating. This idea is now obsolete but at the time the author offered a worst-case scenario as a cautionary note. Runaway microscopic nanobugs exponentially disassembling matter at the cellular level in order to make more copies of themselves - a situation that could rapidly wipe out all life on Earth by changing it into "gray goo." This unlikely but theoretically feasible ecophage triggered a backlash and blockade to funding. The idea of self-replicating nanobugs rapidly became rooted in many popular science fiction themes including Star Trek's nanoalien, the Borg. Over the years MNT theory continued to evolve eliminating self-replicating nanorobots. This is reflected in Drexler's later work, Nanosystems (1992). The need for more control over the process and position of nanomachines has led to a more mechanical approach, leaving little chance for runaway biological processes to occur.

History

Nanotechnology was first introduced in 1959, in a talk by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom". Richard Feynman proposed using a set of conventional-sized robot arms to construct a replica of themselves, but one-tenth the original size, then using that new set of arms to manufacture an even smaller set, and so on, until the molecular scale is reached. If we had many millions or billions of such molecular-scale arms, we could program them to work together to create macro-scale products built from individual molecules a "bottom-up manufacturing" technique, as opposed to the usual technique of cutting away material until you have a completed component or product "top-down manufacturing".

Fig: Richard Feynman Fig: K. Eric Drexler

In 1986, K. Eric Drexler wrote "Engines of Creation" and introduced the term nanotechnology. Scientific research really expanded over the last decade. Inventors and corporations aren't far behind -- today, more than 13,000 patents registered with the U.S. Patent Office have the word "nano" in them.

Applications of Nanorobots

The Nanotechnology Nanorobots have so many feature that we cant express. But similarly there is also a possibility of risks & disadvantages. But according to the inventions that now are going on, the advantages from these nanorobots are very-very high as compare to that of disadvantages. IN ELECTRONICS

Not only these types of nanorobots are useful in the Biotechnology, but also they can be used in many fields such as in electronics fields also (In nano circuits) etc. Nanotechnology has numerous energy-related applications. Nanophotonics is the application of nanotechnology to the transformation of electricity to light or light to electricity. In this area, nanocrystals or nanophosphores can make this transformation with greater efficiency than traditional incandescent lighting or solar panels. Using nanoceramic material as the covering for batteries absorbs electromagnetic waves and prolongs battery life. Nanopolymers provide high-performance insulation for energy transmission lines and decrease energy loss across long distances. IN SPORTS

Nanotechnology is already being used for several sports and recreation related applications. For example, nanotech tennis rackets and golf clubs are lighter, stronger, and can be engineered to provide more motion control. Nanotech coatings on swim suits repel water, reduce friction with the water, and allow swimmers to go faster. IN TELECOMMUNICATION

In the telecommunications industry, nanotechnology will play an important role in the coming years particularly with respect to fiber optics. Nanocrystalline materials can be made with finer resolution than standard fibers for enhanced optic cables, switches, lenses and junctions. In telecommunications more generally, the fields of nanotechnology and holotechnology will overlap in the design of the projection screens and user interfaces of the next generations of holographic cell phones, Holographones, and televisions, HoloTVs. IN BIOTECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Many human illnesses and injuries have their origins in nanoscale processes. Accordingly, application of nanotechnology to the practice of medicine and biomedical research opens up new opportunities to treat illnesses, repair injuries, and enhance human functioning beyond what is possible with macroscale techniques. At the nanoscale level, the distinctions between mechanical and biological processes blur. Nanoparticles can attach to certain cells or tissues and provide medical images of their location and structure. Hollow nanocapsules with pharmaceutical contents can attach to cancer cells and release their payloads into them maximizing targeted delivery and minimizing systemic side effects. Nanomedibots may repair vital tissue damaged by injury or disease, or destroy cancerous tissue that has gone away, without invasive surgery. Nanopharmacology is the application of nanotechnology to the discovery of new molecular entities with pharmacological properties. Nanotechnology is also useful for individualized matching of pharmaceuticals to particular people to maximize effectiveness and minimize side effects. It is also used for delivery of pharmaceuticals to targeted locations or specific types of tissue in the body. There are promising applications of nanotechnology in the field of orthopedics. Grafts of natural bone can carry disease or trigger immune rejection by the host. If one sterilizes the bone to reduce the chances of disease, then this can weaken the bone. Artificial bone cement without nanotechnology can work for small applications, but tends to not have sufficient strength for load-bearing bone replacement. However, artificial bone paste made with nanoceramic particles shows considerable promise for bone repair and replacement, even in load-bearing applications. In addition to delivering pharmaceuticals as discussed above, nanotech medical robots ("nanomedibots") may be able to: monitor body function; repair damaged tissue at the molecular level; deconstruct pathologic or abnormal material or cells such as cancer or plaque; and enhance human health and functioning.

Working of Nanorobots

Imagine going to the doctor to get treatment for a persistent fever. Instead of giving you a pill or a shot, the doctor refers you to a special medical team which implants a tiny robot into your bloodstream. The robot detects the cause of your fever, travels to the appropriate system and provides a dose of medication directly to the infected area.

Fig : The robot in this illustration swims through the arteries and veins using a pair of tail appendages.

Surprisingly, we're not that far off from seeing devices like this actually used in medical procedures. They're called nanorobots and engineering teams around the world are working to design robots that will eventually be used to treat everything from hemophilia to cancer.

NANOROBOT NAVIGATION

There are three main considerations scientists need to focus on when looking at nanorobots moving through the body -- navigation, power and how the nanorobot will move through blood vessels. Nanotechnologists are looking at different options for each of these considerations, each of which has positive and negative aspects. Most options can be divided into one of two categories: external systems and onboard systems.External navigation systems might use a variety of different methods to pilot the nanorobot to the right location. One of these methods is to use ultrasonic signals to detect the nanorobot's location and direct it to the right destination. Doctors would beam ultrasonic signals into the patient's body. The signals would either pass through the body, reflect back to the source of the signals, or both. The nanorobot could emit pulses of ultrasonic signals, which doctors could detect using special equipment with ultrasonic sensors. Doctors could keep track of the nanorobot's location and maneuver it to the right part of the patient's body.Other devices sound even more exotic. One would use capacitors to generate magnetic fields that would pull conductive fluids through one end of an electromagnetic pump and shoot it out the back end. The nanorobot would move around like a jet airplane. Miniaturized jet pumps could even use blood plasma to push the nanorobot forward, though, unlike the electromagnetic pump, there would need to be moving parts.Another potential way nanorobots could move around is by using a vibrating membrane. By alternately tightening and relaxing tension on a membrane, a nanorobot could generate small amounts of thrust. On the nanoscale, this thrust could be significant enough to act as a viable source of motion.

POWERING THE NANOROBOT

Just like the navigation systems, nanotechnologists are considering both external and internal power sources. Some designs rely on the nanorobot using the patient's own body as a way of generating power. Other designs include a small power source on board the robot itself. Finally, some designs use forces outside the patient's body to power the robot.Nanorobots could get power directly from the bloodstream. A nanorobot with mounted electrodes could form a battery using the electrolytes found in blood. Another option is to create chemical reactions with blood to burn it for energy. The nanorobot would hold a small supply of chemicals that would become a fuel source when combined with blood.A nanorobot could use the patient's body heat to create power, but there would need to be a gradient of temperatures to manage it. Power generation would be a result of the Seebeck effect. The Seebeck effect occurs when two conductors made of different metals are joined at two points that are kept at two different temperatures. The metal conductors become a thermocouple, meaning that they generate voltage when the junctures are at different temperatures. Since it's difficult to rely on temperature gradients within the body, it's unlikely we'll see many nanorobots use body heat for power.While it might be possible to create batteries small enough to fit inside a nanorobot, they aren't generally seen as a viable power source. The problem is that batteries supply a relatively small amount of power related to their size and weight, so a very small battery would only provide a fraction of the power a nanorobot would need. A more likely candidate is a capacitor, which has a slightly better power-to-weight ratio.Another possibility for nanorobot power is to use a nuclear power source. The thought of a tiny robot powered by nuclear energy gives some people the willies, but keep in mind the amount of material is small and, according to some experts, easy to shield. Still, public opinions regarding nuclear power make this possibility unlikely at best.

Fig : Engineers are working on building smaller capacitors that will power technology like nanorobots

External power sources include systems where the nanorobot is either tethered to the outside world or is controlled without a physical tether. Tethered systems would need a wire between the nanorobot and the power source. The wire would need to be strong, but it would also need to move effortlessly through the human body without causing damage. A physical tether could supply power either by electricity or optically. Optical systems use light through fiber optics, which would then need to be converted into electricity on board the robot.

Control of Nanorobotic Systems

The control of nano robotic systems could be classified in two categories: 1. Internal control mechanisms 2. External control mechanisms The other category could be the hybrid of internal and external control mechanisms.INTERNAL CONTROL MECHANISM ACTIVE AND PASSIVE

This type of control depends upon the mechanism of bio chemical sensing and selective binding of various bio molecules with various other elements. This is a traditional method, which has been in use since quite some time for designing bio molecules. Using the properties of the various bio molecules and combining with the knowledge of the target molecule that is to be influenced, these mechanisms could be effective. But again, this is a passive control mechanism where at run time these bio molecules cannot change their behavior. Once programmed for a particular kind of molecular interaction, these molecules stick to that. Here lies the basic issue in controlling the nanorobots which are supposed to be intelligent and hence programmed and controlled so that they could be effective in the ever dynamic environment. The question of actively controlling the nanorobots using internal control mechanism is a difficult one. We require an active control mechanism for the designed nanorobots such that they can vary their behavior based on situations they are subjected to, similar to the way macro robots perform. For achieving this internal control, the concept of molecular computers could be utilized. Leonard Adleman (from the University of Southern California) introduced DNA computers a decade ago to solve a mathematical problem by utilizing DNA molecules. Professor Ehud Shapiros lab (at Israel's Weizmann Institute) has devised a biomolecular computer which could be an excellent method for an internal active control mechanism for nanorobots. They have recently been successful in programming the biomolecular computer to analyze the biological information, which could detect and treat cancer (prostate and a form of lung cancer) in their laboratory [210]. The molecular computer has an input and output module which acting together can diagnose a particular disease and in response produce a drug to cure that disease. It uses novel concept of software (made up of DNAs) and hardware (made up of enzymes) molecular elements. This molecular computer is in generalized form and can be used for any disease which produces a particular pattern of gene expression related to it. EXTERNAL CONTROL MECHANISM

This type of control mechanism employs affecting the dynamics of the nanorobot in its work environment through the application of external potential fields. Researchers are actively looking at using MRI as an external control mechanism for guiding the nano particles. Professor Prof. Sylvain Martels Nanorobotic Laboratory (at cole Polytechnique de Montral, Canada) is actively looking at using MRI system as a mean of propulsion for nanorobots. An MRI system is capable of generating variable magnetic field gradients which can exert force on the nanorobot in the three dimensions and hence control its movement and orientation. Professor Martels laboratory is exploring effect of such variable magnetic field on a ferromagnetic core that could probably be embedded into the nanorobots. Other possibilities being explored are in the category of hybrid control mechanisms where the target is located and fixed by an external navigational system but the behavior of the nanorobot is determined locally through an active internal control mechanism. The use of nano sensors and evolutionary agents to determine the nanorobots behavior is suggested by the mentioned reference.

Advantages REARRANGING MATTERNanorobots are 10 times the size of a hydrogen atom. Theoretically, they will be able to rearrange atoms to synthetically manufacture any material on the Earth. For example, carbon atoms could be rearranged into diamond. Nanotechnology would allow materials to be made with unfathomable strength-to-weight ratios, making for strong, light materials that are ideal for transportation and aerospace vehicles.MEDICALNanorobots are capable of rearranging atoms at the molecular level, allowing them to alter cell biology to fight disease and work more effectively. The ability to target diseases and disorders at the cellular level eliminates the risks associated with invasive surgeries or drug side effects.MILITARYNanorobots on the battlefield would be a true advantage over enemies. Military applications include building armor and bullets from virtually indestructible materials. Increased computational power would allow for smarter weapons with precise targeting capabilities, including smart bombs and even smart bullets.COMPUTINGNanocomputers and processors will be so small that computers and storage servers will be far more powerful on a much smaller scale that with current silicon wafer microprocessors. Storage devices capable of hundreds of billion bytes can be made that are just the volume of a sugar.

Potential Disadvantages

One of the potential problem with nanotechnology is the lack of our own knowledge. We know that we can create materials with nanotechnology but we still have to stop and understand the impact of the creation of these products will have on the nanoscale.If we change the structure of material on the nano level without understanding the potential impact on the nanoscale, we risk creating a whole world of materials that have atoms that actually do not fit together cohesively.There are some potential disadvantages of nanotechnology that fall in the realm of both the practical and the ethical. If nanotechnology can help the human body recovers from illness or injury then it is quite possible that nanotechnology can create an altered human state.We could potentially be able to create a human race that is engineered and altered to become hyperintelligent and super strong. The serious complications with such issues include the idea that the scientific technology would only be available to those who can afford it. That would mean there would be an underclass of people; the people we are now.Should nanotechnology actually be able to procure an honest and true molecular manufacturing machine for every household how would the worlds economy survive? What would we do with all those jobs that are lost in the manufacturing fields and how would we calculate monetary concerns when it comes to this type of on demand manufacturing?There is a host of potential weaponry that could be produced on a molecular level. For any scientist, the potential to engineer diseases and create lethal weaponry that cant even be seen is an ethical quagmire. Even more distressing is whether or not other countries that have nanotechnology capabilities will create these weapons.While it sounds as though the disadvantages of nanotechnology will be the end of the world, this is not really the case. With all the good any science can do, there is always the capability of engineering evil potential. There is a system of checks and balances in place to help prevent the mishandling of scientific research and capabilities.There is also not a great likelihood that most of the potential disadvantages will come to fruition. Rather, it is more likely that the ethical questions and concerns will be addressed as the potential for actual development and practical use comes into play. Most of the concerns that scientists and ethical experts are concerned with will not be a realistic potential for a long time to come.Nanorobots: Today and Tomorrow

Teams around the world are working on creating the first practical medical nanorobot.Robotsranging from a millimeter in diameter to a relatively hefty two centimeters long already exist, though they are all still in the testing phase of development and haven't been used on people. We're probably several years away from seeing nanorobots enter the medical market. Today's microrobots are just prototypes that lack the ability to perform medical tasks.

In the future, nanorobots could revolutionize medicine.Doctorscould treat everything fromheart diseasetocancerusing tiny robots the size of bacteria, a scale much smaller than today's robots. Robots might work alone or in teams to eradicate disease and treat other conditions. Some believe that semiautonomous nanorobots are right around the corner -- doctors would implant robots able to patrol a human's body, reacting to any problems that pop up. Unlike acute treatment, these robots would stay in the patient's body forever.Another potential future application of nanorobot technology is to re-engineer our bodies to become resistant to disease, increase our strength or even improve our intelligence. Dr. Richard Thompson, a former professor of ethics, has written about the ethical implications ofnanotechnology. He says the most important tool is communication, and that it's pivotal for communities, medical organizations and the government to talk about nanotechnology now, while the industry is still in its infancy.Will we one day have thousands of microscopic robots rushing around in our veins, making corrections and healing our cuts, bruises and illnesses? With nanotechnology, it seems like anything is possible.

Conclusion

Manipulating matter at molecular scale and influencing their behavior (dynamics and properties) is the biggest challenges for the nanorobotic systems. This field is still in very early stages of development and still a lot has to be figured out before any substantial outcome is produced. The recent explosion of research in nanotechnology, combined with important discoveries in molecular biology have created a new interest in bio nanorobotic systems. The preliminary goal in this field is to use various biological elements whose function at the cellular level creates a motion, force or a signal as nanorobotic components that perform the same function in response to the same biological stimuli but in an artificial setting. In this way proteins and DNA could act as motors, mechanical joints, transmission elements, or sensors. If all these different components were assembled together they can form nanorobots and nano devices with multiple degrees of freedom, with ability to apply forces and manipulate objects in the nanoscale world, transfer information from the nano- to the macroscale world and even travel in a nanoscale environment. Ability to determine the structure, behavior and properties of the nano components is the first step which requires focused research thrust. Only when the preliminary results on these nano components are achieved, steps towards actually building complex assemblies could be thought of. Still problems like protein (basic bio nano component folding, precise mechanism behind working of the molecular motors like ATP Synthase have still has to be solved. Active control of nanorobots has to be further refined. Hybrid control mechanisms, where in, a molecular computer and external (navigational) control system work in sync to produce the precise results seems very promising. Further, concepts like swarm behavior in context of nanorobotics is still have to be worked out. As it would require colonies of such nanorobots for accomplishing a particular task, concept of co-operative behavior, distributed intelligence has to be evolved. The future of bio nanorobots (molecular robots) is bright. We are at the dawn of a new era in which many disciplines will merge including robotics, mechanical, chemical and biomedical engineering, chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics so that fully functional systems will be developed. However, challenges towards such a goal abound. Developing a complete database of different biomolecular machine components and the ability to interface or assemble different machine components are some of the challenges to be faced in the near future. There are some huge questions yet to be answered. How far can we take nanorobotics before it interferes our basic humanityHowever, the control design and the development of complex nano systems with high performance can be well used to pave the way for future use of nanorobotics. With the emerging era of molecular engineering , the new approaches of nanorobotics behaviour are expected to have a great impact for an effective development on nanorobotics.

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