http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3238 examining transformative technology Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:23:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3238#comment-859683 J Storrs Hall Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:07:34 +0000 http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3238#comment-859683 A limitation certainly, especially in the sense that the operator will only able to use the nanomachine a million times slower than it's capable of operating. However, I wouldn't expect inertial forces to be enormously important to early designs at the nanoscale. Static forces, e.g. van der Waals adhesion, are significantly greater in most cases. Most the designs in Nanosystems don't use it -- I can think of only two cases a flywheel effect is used, off the top of my head. Almost all the designs, partly in the interest of being lower-bound proofs of concept, allow for vibrations to die off at every stage, for example. This allows for an almost Aristotelian, statics-only design regime. This in turn leads to machines that are simpler in concept (and particularly in analysis) albeit a lot slower in operation than ones designed using the full dynamics available. A limitation certainly, especially in the sense that the operator will only able to use the nanomachine a million times slower than it’s capable of operating. However, I wouldn’t expect inertial forces to be enormously important to early designs at the nanoscale. Static forces, e.g. van der Waals adhesion, are significantly greater in most cases. Most the designs in Nanosystems don’t use it — I can think of only two cases a flywheel effect is used, off the top of my head. Almost all the designs, partly in the interest of being lower-bound proofs of concept, allow for vibrations to die off at every stage, for example. This allows for an almost Aristotelian, statics-only design regime. This in turn leads to machines that are simpler in concept (and particularly in analysis) albeit a lot slower in operation than ones designed using the full dynamics available.

]]> http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3238#comment-859679 Jeffrey Soreff Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:36:01 +0000 http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3238#comment-859679 Haptics is a bit less of a help for nanotechnology than it seems. The problem is the time scale. If someone operates a nanoscale mechanical device through a haptic interface, they will be able to "feel" all of the quasi-static force fields (appropriately scaled), and this will be a help. If the machinery's intended operating frequency is e.g. megahertz, then manual operation won't feel the inertial forces in the system. It the operator manipulates the machine on a roughly 1 hertz frequency, they will "feel" inertial forces a million times smaller than they will be in operation. Not a show stopper, but a significant limitation. Haptics is a bit less of a help for nanotechnology than it
seems. The problem is the time scale. If someone operates
a nanoscale mechanical device through a haptic interface,
they will be able to “feel” all of the quasi-static force
fields (appropriately scaled), and this will be a help.
If the machinery’s intended operating frequency is e.g.
megahertz, then manual operation won’t feel the inertial
forces in the system. It the operator manipulates the
machine on a roughly 1 hertz frequency, they will “feel”
inertial forces a million times smaller than they will
be in operation. Not a show stopper, but a significant
limitation.

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