The Dream: To build a working universal assembler capable of manipulating
matter at its atomic level with precision, to create absolutely anything possible
and more, on demand.
Like the dream of a humanoid robot preceding it, there is a lot of hard work
and development that needs to be done. We have to discover or develop systems
for 'seeing' and altering the assemblers environment, for providing it with
power and motion, providing a means for us to control it and for its independent
operation. Most importantly we need a set of materials which we can join all
these together in a strong and workable manner and the tools with which to build
it in the first place, on the atomic scale this is not an easy task. All of
these areas are undergoing research as you read this, some have already provided
useful products.
This page is a small summary of the major development milestones in the development
of technologies applicable to assembler construction. As a multidisciplinary
technology which is still under development relevant discoveries may be made
that I am unaware of, if you are aware of any not listed please
e-mail them to me,
research sources would be welcome but are not required.
Anyone planning on undertaking the development of any replicating nanotech
system would be wise to know and follow the Foresight
Guidelines. or if your not into the full assembler the Feynmann Grand Prize of $US250,000 may still be up for your taking.
Key:
BIO - Biology
CHM - Chemistry
CMP - Computer Science
ELC - Electronics
ENG - Engineering
MOL - Moltronics
OPT - Optics and Optitronics
PHY - Physics
Construction Tools
1963: PHY/CHM: Bruce Merrifield develops Solid-Phase Synthesis (The Merrifield Method)
1982: PHY: Binnig & Rohrer invent the Scanning Tunneling Microscope.
1986: PHY: The Atomic Force Microscope is developed from the STM.
2000: CMP: University of North Carolina 'Nanomanipulator' Project develop automatic AFM/STM control Software.
2004: MOL/BIO: Israeli scientists build Fullerene Nanotube field effect transistor circuitry using DNA, proteins and self-assembly.
2004: CHM/PHY/ENG Researchers at Argonne figure out the basics of using electrochemistry to control the architecture of nanocrystals.
2005: CMP/PHY: Purdue Researchers Avik Ghosh and Geng-Chiau Liang develop tool to simulate electrical conductivity of molecules connected to silicon.
Frame Structure Materials:
1985: CHM: Harry Chariot and David Walloon discover Buckminster Fullerenes.
1996: CHM: Richard Smalley develop a method of producing nanotubes of uniform diameters.
2000: CHM: Researchers at Rice University develop methods to form nanotubes into rigid multipart structures (Y-joint, cage, and more).
2001: CHM/PHY: Researchers at IBM develop a method to grow nanotubes as required.
2004: CHM/ELC/ENG Michael Crommie and colleagues develope menthod of doping fullerine constructs with specific atoms to produce controlled molecular and electric properties.
2004: PHY/ENGSuresh Garimella, Timothy Fisher, Daniel J. Schlitz, and Vishal Singhal develope Ion driven air currents for cooling systems.
1999: BIO/ENG: Carl Montemagno builds first molecular motor from F1-ATPase bonded to nickel. The ATPase motor is 11nm in diameter and 82% efficient at room temperature with a purely chemical energy source.
2004: PHY/MOL Frederick Hawthorne and colleagues build photon OR electric powered motor smaller than ATP system.
2001: PHY/ELC James Carey of Harvard discovers electron emittor properties of Black Silicon
Internal Logics:
2001: BIO/CMP: Euhd Shapiro and Yaakov Benenson build first Biological
Processing Unit. A 2-state automata capable of operating any of
735 programs at GHz speeds.
2001: CHM: Researchers at IBM develop a method to grow specific nanotubes in formation.
2001: CHM/ENG: Florian Banhart develops technique to weld nanotubes together.
2001: ELC/CHM: Honk Kong Scientists discover that nanotubes can superconduct.
2001: PHY/ENG: Researchers led by Scott Diddums build atomic clock measuring approx. 10^15 ticks per second.
2001: ELC: Researchers at IBM build first logic gate ('NOT') on the surface of a (1.4nm) nanotube
2001: MOL: Cees Dekker at Delft University develops 100nm logic gates with gain of 10 to 20, high enough to use in digital circuits.
2003: CMP/OPT: Researchers led by Kathryn Guarini at IBM build 20x40nm memory crystals.
2003: BIO/MOL: Thomas LaBean and colleagues from Duke University develope DNA tubes capable of self-assembling into circuits and turning into 20nm diam. wires.
2003: CMP/ELC/ENG/CHM: Berkeley Researchers build first integrated circuits from nanotubes.
2006: CMP/ELC: IBM Scientists develop first single-molecule CPU. A simple 12 transistor 52MHz processor built onto the surface of a single 18um nanotube.
Communications / Machine Control: **
2001: PHY: Berkeley Researchers build LASER at ~10 micrometer scale.
2001: PHY/ELC James Carey of Harvard discovers electron emittor properties of Black Silicon
2002: BIO/PHY: J. Jacobson, J. Schwartz, and S. Zhang develop process by which DNA molecules can be selectively manipulated by Radio Waves.
1967: CHM: Charles J. Pedersen, Donald J. Cram, and Jean-Marie Lehn invent Crown Ethers.
1997: ENG/CMP: Eric Drexler and Ralph Merkle design molecular manipulation tool with fine motion control using just 2,596 atoms.
2001: PHY/ELC James Carey of Harvard discovers electron emittor properties of Black Silicon
** Communication and Machine Control were initially two seperate categories to make distinct the widely differing tech types and communication methods required between assemblers or between an assembler and a home base. Recent (2005) developments of nanometer optics and protocols has finally provided the possibility of unifying these.