In the Lloyd's library in London, Eric Drexler addressed business risks and opportunities of nanotechnology. Sponsored by both the UK Knowledge Transfer Networks of Finance and Nanotechnology, Drexler focuses initially on a broad overview of nanotechnology, then examines current and emerging risks. The talk concludes with prospects for transformative future nanotechnologies.

Dr. Glotzer is a nanoscientist reexamining the notion of shape and its role in generating new materials. She is a Professor in the Departments of Material Science, Chemical Engineering, and Physics at the University of Michigan. She looks at molecular shape and form at a new level, opening doors to brand new creations.

Foresight Institute is a leading think tank and public interest organization focused on transformative future technologies. Founded in 1986, its mission is to discover and promote the upsides, and help avoid the dangers, of nanotechnology, AI, biotech, and similar life-changing developments.

Foresight is the primary force pushing for the kind of nanotechnology that will truly transform our future, from medicine to the environment to space settlement. We bring that vision and goal to new audiences, including inspiring young researchers.

Foresight's mission is to:

speed development of nanotechnology and other key fundamental technologies,
promote beneficial uses of these revolutionary technologies, and
reduce misuse and accidents potentially associated with them.

http://www.foresight.org

Drexlerian nanotech implies a production technology with large fixed costs of design, low variable cost of production, low cost of copying-the equivalent for physical objects of the current technology for software. This raises an interesting set of issues, paralleling issues that already exist for software—how does the fixed cost get paid for? As with software, and other current forms of intellectual property, the problem is complicated by the difficulty of enforcing copyright or analogous legal rules in the face of easy copying.

During his stay in Russia and taking part in Rusnanotech 2011 IV Nanotechnology International Forum, Eric Drexler, the pioneer of nanotechnology, gave an open lecture on atomic-scale matter manipulations at the Russian Polytechnicheskii (Polytechnic) Museum on 26 October 2011.

Dr. Eric Drexler speaks at the Inaugural Lecture of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology. Introduced by Professor Nick Bostrom.

Exploring a Timeless Landscape: Physical Law and the Future of Nanotechnology

In the inaugural lecture of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology, Eric Drexler explores the implications of physical law for the future potential of nanotechnology, then describes the prospects for productive technologies that can solve global problems on the scale of climate change.

Abstract:

Ted Sargent, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Nanotechnology at the University of Toronto, delivers a Talk at TEDxToronto 2011 on the theme of Redefining Nanotechnology. 


How do we consider the impacts of new technologies? This video introduces the conceptual nanotechnology 'utility fog' and addresses some of the big issues it could raise as an example.

Written, animated and directed by James Hutson, Bridge8.

Nanotechnology, sometimes shortened to nanotech, refers to a field of applied science whose theme is the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures 100 nanometers or smaller, and involves developing materials or devices within that size.