Kim Eric Drexler

Born: April 25, 1955 in CA, USA

American engineer K. Eric Drexler is best known for his contributions to the popularization of the potential existence of molecular nanotechnology, including nanobots. Currently, nanoscience mostly consists of the researching of materials on the nanoscale with unique properties. However, Drexler hopes to establish a nanoscience that consists of robots on the nanoscale.

Important Contributions:

a. In the summers of 1975 and 1976, Drexler was involved with the NASA summer studies. During that time, he created metal films of a couple tens of nanometers thick in an attempt to create solar sails, a hypothetical sail used as a method for space travel.

b. After hearing about Feynman’s famous nanotechnology lecture, There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom, and Taniguchi’s use of the term nanotechnology, Drexler writes and publishes his own book in 1986, Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology. He mentions the term gray goo, used to describe the future possibility of an Earth run by robots. His ideas expressed within the book have been met with much opposition. (See Smalley-Drexler Debate.)

c. One of Drexler’s early ideas to create nanobots was by using assemblers, which were nanomachines that would comprise parts of the nanobots. His assemblers would either be created by computer programs or better yet, since they would be self-replicating, could be fabricated by other assemblers. This idea, however, was met with much controversy since Drexler never gave an explanation as to the origin of the first assembler.

d. In 1986, Drexler and his former wife Christine Peterson founded the Foresight Institute, whose goal was to “ensure the beneficial implementation of nanotechnology. Foresight is accomplishing this by providing balanced, accurate and timely information to help society understand and utilize nanotechnology through public policy activities, publications, guidelines, networking events, tutorials, conferences, roadmaps and prizes.”

e. In 1992, Drexler wrote the first nanotechnology textbook, Nanosystems Molecular Machinery Manufacturing and Computation.

In 2005, Drexler joined Nanorex, a molecular software engineering company, where he now works. To visit his personal website, click here.

References

"Kim Eric Drexler " Wikipedia. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Eric_Drexler

K. Eric, Drexler. "Crucial physical and informational technologies." 1 Nov. 2005. e-drexler.com. 25 Nov. 2005 <http://www.e-drexler.com/>.