Ralph Merkle – An introduction to Molecular Nanotechnology
Ralph Merkle, a leading expert in nanotechnology, gives a non-technical introduction to nanotechnology and the future of manufacturing at the atomic level. From the inaugural Executive Program at Singularity University (www.singularityu.org).
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The Stanford Nanoelectronics Group presents “Nanotechnology – Carbon Nanotube Electronics”, a short educaitonal video on nanotechnology and carbon nanotubes (this video made possible by the National Science Foundation).
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@conradjulian The quant fund managers though they knew everything but they got creamed in the stock market. In some cases worse then the avg joe. I would be braging about how smart I was and using my quant experience as proof when trying to understand Nanotechnology….For one, they are very different fields and for two the quants haven’t even figured out their own field of physics. Scott Locklin needs to stick to what he knows and rethink his own area of physics…which is sadly lacking!
Scott Locklin has a graduate degree in physics and works as a quant in finance. Google his blog to see his negative assessment of “nanotechnology.”
To be able to build (I refrain from using the word create – too God like) at a molecular level gives us the ability to design to fit.
This is the first talk I’ve seen by Ralph Merkle and he seems to have an amazing way of explaining incredibly complex ideas to a very wide audience. He was so easy to listen to.
Will you be able to make water…?
some awesome explanations here… especially like the fire + cavemen “problem”.
some awesome explanations here… especially like the fire + cavemen analogy.
GREAT PRESENTATION! NANOTECHNOLOGY IS THE FUTURE!
@jamesgravil Agreed!
@eradimatrix Not necessarily. It depends on what level of nanotechnology you’re thinking about. I read in a book an interview with one of Merkle’s students (admittedly the book was published nearly 10 years ago), who predicted the development and commercial application of carbon nanotubes – a form of “nanotechnology” – to arrive by 2013. “Full” nanotech might be a couple decades off, though, in the same way that “full” AI won’t be around until 2030, even though we have basic AI now.
@jamesgravil few years really? I think more like 10 to 20.
this proves that cryonics makes sense after all.
@eradimatrix Nah, just give it a few years and he’ll be able to get the nanobots to do it for him. Physical perfection without any heavy lifting whatsoever! Kind of like in that Futurama episode, “Parasites Lost”, where Fry becomes host to a species of worms that dramatically and instantaneously improve his intelligence, buffness and looks. Hey… I could do with something like that! Sign me up!
this guy couldn’t get me more excited if he showed he could get Pb–>Au
honestly, I haven’t been this excited about something, for years
I guess this is the motivation I need to hit up school again o.O
smoothcb and I have the same idea hahahahahaha
This is pretty remarkable.
I’m all for the singularity, life extension, and nano-technology….
but damn, that dude needs to work out.
I want my genie-in-a-bottle machine! I hope someone is taking pre-orders.
It is now possible to have everyone enjoy a very high standard of living with all of the amenities that a prosperous civilization can provide. This can be accomplished through the intelligent and humane application of science and technology.
Earth is abundant with plentiful resources; today our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival. Modern society has access to highly advanced technologies and can make available food, clothing, housing, medical care, a relevant educational system, and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy such as geothermal, solar, wind, tidal, etc.
most people are definitely stupid enough to miss the boat; hopefully people with $ will fund the right research; after all, whoever makes this happen first will become immensely powerful and rich (im thinking a corporation or country); whether its strong AI, life extension tech, or nanoscale production
Love all these videos from singularity uni. Thanks for posting them for everyone to see.
As a PhD researcher in gerontology , What he is saying will most likely occur………its a matter of time….are we stupid enough to deliberately miss the boat?
You smoke too much weed
Wow.
yes do more searchs on ralph merkle
So here is a weird Idea. Maybe we will get to a point with our tech, That most of us fly away to another planet to live. AND guess what its all dejavu. We have done this many times before.
@OmnibusWhiteLion I can’t say I know much about diamond nanorods…so I’m afraid I can’t answer this…
@deanominatorx Many existing companies already do this. Of course, it depends on what kind of nanotubes you want – multi-walled or single-walled? long or short? …etc. One group of researchers at Rice Univeristy is researching how to manufacture CNTs into “threads”, and this work was recently featured in the May/June issue of MIT’s Technology Review.
@rroge5 Using carbon nanotubes to make digital logic circuits will save power! Imagine a laptop or a LCD monitor that doesn’t heat up. CNT circuits can be more power efficient, and thus require less power to do the same job.
@jpc1105 , Yes, there has been a lot of interest in carbon nanotube applications in batteries. Some have demonstrated flexible batteries using “paper” coated with carbon nanotubes to serve as the electrodes. If you are interested in technical papers on this, may I suggest searching for “carbon nanotube battery” in google scholar. Quite a lot turns up!
@laitela01, I think that may be quite a leap from what we are proposing here. But nanotechnology does take us a step closer towards controlling materials at the nano / atomic level.
Thank for the video. It was very educational.
I hope you will post more videos in the future.
@skimmy6
Unlikely. May bey you can somehow replace bone-tissue, but your metabolism, proteome and many other physiological aspects that are supposed to happen gradely throughout maturing., will stay behind, which will do much damage to your body. Growing is more then gaining length alone, you also need to alter muscles, tendons, sensory organs, metabolism, blood flow, etc etc
@Christian9872 Hey thos was some good questions! They would be awsome for the military! I think they already have a Full body suit, they can make u super strong and Fast! ijust for get the name its Called! …
which is harder; carbon nanotubes or aggrogated diamond nanorods?
@Christian9872
I think if people didn’t worry about money, they would have to make their own food, and wouldn’t have time to research things like this.
Theres on-going research going on about how to manufacture carbon nanotubes in excess. Im looking for resources of any kind to help assist in this research. Do you know any new manufacturing processing or state of the art equipment that has a promising future in this research?
but they dont say that so much power will be wasted!
Any info on CNT’s being used for paper batteries/super capacitors? Back in December I read about professors at Berkeley having a break through with carbon nanotubes on normal copier paper!?
So they can basically build food from atoms…
@Christian9872 very true, but, people need boundaries. Without boundaries people would go mad. They would kill, steal, etc. Money is what keeps humanity sane, even if that is what keeps us from advancing in some fields.
@Christian9872
Well, as you state with your last sentence about money, I must disagree. Even if capitalism isn’t a great thing for many people, in the R&D field, it induces competition amongst companies which would therefore induce faster production.
However, if humans were able to work optimally, in somewhat of a communistic environment, then of course faster progress would be made by working in collaboration. This is impossible at the moment given the diverse morality nature of humans.
@skimmy6, As of now, I can’t say I know anything about that…
@lloydyz1150. As I mentioned to a previous commentor, I can’t really speculate on whether this is a suitable material for a space elevator. However, I have heard much talk about this being a good potential. Now, to make carbon nanotubes in large enough quantities for such an application (as you mentioned), I think that will indeed be a big challenge! (but something very do-able if people are motivated enough)
@Bestdogsintheworld, Perhaps it could. I will not officially speculate on the possibility of that, however, I have heard that some people are making ships with carbon nanotubes and carbon composites. These are ships that sail in the ocean, not in space, though.
@moniker127, Yup, that is correct. We use nanotubes in nano- to micro-sized semiconductor applications. This includes wires as well as transistors.
@DPat6590 , indeed, the nanotubes we show in this video are Carbon Nanotubes. We grow them on a regular basis for our research.
Sweet. To quote The Discovery Channel… “The World Is Just Awesome…” Such endeavors give me some much needed hope and optimism…
I have heard that if they ever build a space elevator this is the stuff they will us to construct it but how would in be constructed in such a great quantity?
Could this be used for a hull of a space ships
My dad told me that if you put nanotubes on somthing it can grow very fast is that true?