Nanomachines

Material Science Christopher Romo

Definition
A nanomachine, also called a nanite, is a mechanical or electromechanical device whose dimensions are measured in nanometers (millionths of a millimeter, or units of 10-9 meter).

This is a representation of a nanomachine. The colored balls represent individual atoms that comprise the machine.

Visionary
During the 1980s and 1990s, K. Eric Drexler popularized the potential for nanomachines.. The ultimate goal of nanomachine technology is to build an assembler nanomachine that is designed to manipulate matter at the atomic level. The assembler would be able to rearrange atoms from raw materials in order to produce useful items.

Engineering
The most important challenge to overcome is one of molecular engineering. Rearranging atoms into new shapes is essentially building new molecules. Through experimentation, more control could be gained on how molecules are formed. In time, chemists will be able to position individual atoms by techniques developed in chemical synthesis.

In computer simulations, molecularly stable gears and cogs have been formed through chemical synthesis. Nanogear

Bibliography
Callister, William D.. Material Science and Engineering An Introduction (sixth edition). John Wiley & Sons, 2003 Fujmasa, Iwao. Micro Machines; A new era in Mechanical Engineering. Oxford; New York; Oxford University Press, 1996 Silby, Brent. Nanomachines 2002 http://www.def-logic.com (17 Jan. 2005) Nano Word Nanomachines <http://www.nanoword.net/pdf/nanomach.pdf>