Right now, the goal of the scientists who are developing this technology is to build nanoscopic robots capable of manipulating atoms and molecules to build useful items. After they have accomplished this, they will have opened a door that may lead to any number of new achievements in this field of science.

      So when will the prototypes of this developing technology be ready? The scientists at IBM predict that the first form of this technology will be available in 8-15 years. But at that point, they may only be able to make the nanoscopic robots manipulate atoms to spell IBM in microscopic size. Scientists anticipate that we will begin to reap the real benefits of this technology around the year 2030.

       What do I mean by the real benefits? Well, one scientist states that, "We have just begun to explore this novel realm: visit the interplanets of the Solar System in a matter of days, the gas giants in weeks... instead of years...explore the endless energy resources and elbowroom of our solar backyard made newly available through the use of supermaterials and the economics of nanotechnology." This comment if from scientist, Forrest Bishop, one of the many scientists working to develop nanotechnolgoy at The Institute of Atomic-Scale Engineering.

      Over all I feel that nanotechnology, once developed, will move mankind into a new era. Of course, like any other technology you must take the good with the bad and nanotechnology has applications for both. If we can use nanotechnology to create a cure for disease, who is to stop somebody from creating a never before heard of deadly virus? We can only hope that, as time passes and our technology becomes more advanced, mankind will strive for a new frontier to explore and not a new war to be fought.

For more information go to:
Nanotechnology.com
http://nanozine.com/FORREST.HTM