Complex molecular nanotechnology systems to be built in Netherlands

It’s great to see ambitious goals being set in nanotechnology, like these “molecular mini-factories“. Researchers from a wide range of disciplines at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) will be joining forces in the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS). They will be investigating the exact mechanism behind self-organization, the principle behind all life on earth.… Continue reading Complex molecular nanotechnology systems to be built in Netherlands

Excess nanotechnology conservatism is too radical

An opinion piece in IEEE Spectrum by Cientifica business development director Dexter Johnson is so conservative in its views that it crosses over into being truly radical. On designer materials: In fact, we are so far from that goal it’s not clear whether we will ever be able to overcome all the obstacles. Not ever?… Continue reading Excess nanotechnology conservatism is too radical

Nanotechnology and the wildcard of advanced software

Nanotech experiments using real molecules are expensive and slow. Progress in nanotechnology would be greatly increased by highly advanced software truly able to model how molecules interact to make materials, devices, and systems. What are the odds of highly advanced software — machine intelligence — being developed any time soon? Explore this question at the… Continue reading Nanotechnology and the wildcard of advanced software

Nanotechnology patent problems blamed on unionization

Small Times reports on a meeting held in Oregon among a wide variety of nanotechnology-based business participants, at which many commercialization challenges were discussed. One was difficulties encountered with the U.S. Patent office: Start-ups expressed frustration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Long waits for patent award decisions make it difficult for them… Continue reading Nanotechnology patent problems blamed on unionization

Windows Vista: potential negative impact on nanotechnology

John Walker brings to our attention an apparently distressing set of concerns regarding the new version of Windows, known as Vista, written up by Peter Gutman as A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection. Excerpts: The only way to protect the HFS [Hardware Functionality Scan] process therefore is to not release any technical details… Continue reading Windows Vista: potential negative impact on nanotechnology

Nanotechnology patent delays bad for (almost) everyone

A story by Jon Van describes the growing backlog of nanotechnology patent applications: As the time it takes to process patent applications now averages almost four years, double the time it took in 2004, nanotech entrepreneurs are beginning to worry that their ability to raise money to develop products may be stifled. It’s not just… Continue reading Nanotechnology patent delays bad for (almost) everyone

Nanotechnology patents delayed, nanotech public understanding mixed

We don’t usually like to link to subscription sites, but as an editorial advisory board member, I’ll make an exception for Nanotech Briefs (you can download a free sample). The August issue has the usual hard-core technical news: SiGe transistor operates at frequencies above 500 GHz, Method creates hollow nanocrystals, nanopore technique sequences DNA [note:… Continue reading Nanotechnology patents delayed, nanotech public understanding mixed

Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines book now free online

Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines (KSRM), the book co-authored by Robert A. Freitas Jr. and Ralph C. Merkle, was published on paper in 2004, but the book is now freely accessible online . With 200+ illustrations and 3200+ literature references, KSRM describes all proposed and experimentally realized self-replicating systems that were publicly known as of 2004, ranging… Continue reading Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines book now free online

Interactive Fractal 3d Worlds

from the Friday-frivolity dept.
planetp writes "I just wanted to inform everyone who hasn't already seen this fantasic new software program to give it a look. Its called MojoWorld by Pandromeda and was started by Doc "Mojo" Musgrave who worked with Benoit Mendelbrot and who is credited with being the first to implement multifractals. You can download the Mojo Transporter for free and explore the six planets that come with it. The Real-Time flying alone is worth several all-nighters – of which I can attest! 🙂 With the ability to explore entire planets to scale in detail as little as rocks, rendering to both image and full scale animation in achinging beautiful detail, this program is a genuine breatkthrough. Doc Mojo syas that the program is so power-hungry that he couldn't have released it even a year earlier. Given future speeds in desktop computation REAL VR will have finally arrived.

The site has lots of beautiful, alien and extremely realistic earthlike renderings that will make you drool for the power to create your own planets."

Stu Kauffman's "4th Law" – Investigations

from the complexity-of-complexity dept.
smythe writes "Stuart Kauffman's latest book, Investigations speaks eloquently to what I believe will soon become the central issue in Nanotechnology. Namely, the(self-)organization and management of complexity of collections of atoms, molecules and molecular scale devices. The design of nanoscale devices and materials is about 'organizing atoms'. The Atomasoft coined phrase 'matter will become software' alludes to this but thoroughly underestimates it at the same time. Kauffman collects many ideas from Biology, Mathematics, Complexity Science and Physics proper and provides us with what he suggests what might be an 'adequate description of life itself'.
"Fourth Law" (the lecture)
Investigations (the book)
Investigations (online notes)"

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