Nanotechnology

You probably know from your science classes that atoms are the building blocks for all matter in our universe. You and everything around you are made of atoms. For fun some scientists have created from atoms - a nano MAN called IBMman.

Nanotechnology may have its biggest impact on the medical industry. One day, robots could be smaller than human cells. These microscopic machines, called nanorobots, could travel through the bloodstream and kill unwanted bacteria or viruses.

Researchers and engineers are now designing the basic building blocks for these futuristic machines. Take a look at how a nanorobot might work.

IBMman

Nanomachine - Medical Virus Finder

A microscopic robot may travel between red blood cells through the bloodstream. They could seek out harmful organisms like viruses and bacteria. With an onboard computer and sensors, the robot's mechanical arms could capture, puncture and destroy a virus.

The robots also could be programmed to seek out viruses inside cells. The robot's outer surface would resemble other human cells, so the body's immune system won't attack it.

The potential for these robots is great, but they are many years from being developed. The tantalizing promise of delivering tumor-killing poisons directly to cancerous cells, thus averting the ravaging side-effects of chemotherapy, has generated a lot of interest in nanoparticles among the medical community.

"The purpose of these nanoparticles is to introduce a new type of therapy -- to actually go inside individual cells ... and repair them, or, if there's a lot of damage, to get rid of those cells,"

HOW FAR AWAY IS NANO TECHNOLOGY?

Nanotechnology is likely to change the way almost everything, including medicine, computers and cars, are designed and constructed. Nanotechnology is anywhere from five to 15 years in the future, and we won't see dramatic changes in our world right away. However YOU have the opportunity to be involved and help shape this ‘futuristic world’ and to make a difference.


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