What Happened to NanoTech?
I remember the first day that I was introduced to the concept of respirocytes. It was 1996 and I was on my way to Iraq as an Airman in the United States Air Force. We had to land our C-5 Galaxy in Detroit due to a minor engine problem and had been allowed access to the local civilian airport for a few hours. I spent my time stretching my legs before the long flight ahead. I stopped to watch Headline News for just a bit and this is when my entire scope of life as I knew it changed forever.
It wasn't the lead story, that was probably conserved for my future destination at the time, but it was an interesting piece over respirocytes. It explained that these microscopic robots that were recently developed by world leading scientists would soon give everyone all kinds of amazing superhuman powers. I remember the news caster being quasi-awe-struck as he stated that we would be able to hold our breath underwater for hours at a time, run for miles without getting tired, or able to survive for long periods after having a heart-attack giving emergency technicians plenty of time to usher us to health. I had to know more.
Unfortunately, back then, we didn't have Google, and even if we did I was on my way to the dessert for nine months. My research into this previously unknown realm of science would have to wait… … and wait it did… … and were still waiting.
Respirocytes are hypothetical nano-machines capable of behaving like a red blood cell in humans. It could be used to augment or replace entirely our own red blood cells as a carrier of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. The original version of the refereed paper describing respirocytes was first submitted for publication on 17 April 1996. © Copyright 1996 Robert A. Freitas Jr. This is the revised version of that 1996 paper that can be found @ http://www.foresight.org/Nanomedicine/Respirocytes.html.
It is now 2017, twenty-one years later. What happened, why didn't this incredible technology ever take root? There are quite a few different reasons that we aren't there yet. The main factor being the technology that manipulates nano-materials just isn't as advanced as it needs to be. Even though we don't have the medical marvel that would be respirocytes, we actually have some pretty amazing things going on in the field. Many that you know about, its just not common knowledge that it was an advancement in nanotech that brought it to you.
Sunscreen - Remember when this stuff use to be as pasty as Elmer’s Glue? Now we have the smooth spray on stuff that you can barely feel against your skin that works 10x better. This is because of nanoscale partials of titanium dioxcide.
Vegetables - Keeping fresh veggies have never been easier than it is today because we found out that nanoscale silver particles have amazing anti-microbial properties. They are also put in bandaids and washing machines.
Water Purification - Amazing advancements that can clean dirty water (and I mean very dirty water) without using any chemicals but simply filtering through a new carbon based nano material.
It may not be quite the super powers that I thought I would have by now, but there should be no doubt that we will eventually get there. If you would like to know more about recent advances in Nanotech, I would suggest keeping up with Quinn Spadola, PhD. She is a biophysicist and Technology Policy Fellow in the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office from 2014 to 2016, she has some excellent and very informative videos.
As always, thank you for your time. Feel free to up vote and resteem if you enjoyed my article.
Stephen C. JamisonTranhumanist/Futurist