Nanotechnology, Genetic Engineering & Robotics ? Doomsday or Miracle?

Nanotechnology, Genetic Engineering & Robotics ? Doomsday or Miracle?

Advances in nanotechnology have proven that incredible progress is not only possible today and in the future, it is pretty well inevitable. Fantastic advances in nanotechnologic medical research have resulted in life saving techniques that were unheard of even a decade ago.

Genetic engineering research and development provides a means of revolutionizing agricultural output by enhancing crop yields while encouraging a decrease in the necessity for pesticides. It also holds out a promise of attaining newer, improved species of plants and animals, the ability to someday replace or supplement reproduction with cloning and the hope that cures will be developed for many fatal and debilitating diseases, which can only result in increased life spans and improved quality of life.

Robotic engineers firmly believe that development of a truly intelligent machine that is capable of performing most tasks better than humans will be perfected within our lifetime. They envision a time when a highly organized system of machines will perform all tasks with little or no human input.

It is not hard to imagine the revolutionary advancements that are possible if nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics combine their expertise in future technological advancements. Either the result will be a utopian world free of disease or pestilence or a jumbled chaos of grey goo and confusion.

Regardless of the outcome, it is inevitable that the future holds profound changes because of nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics, whether the accomplishments are made on their own or as a result of a coordinated effort. Along with the imminent progression, however, we must also be aware of the philosophical, moral and ethical issues that will come about as a result of biological change.

In addition to the potential threat from the unleashed power of nanotechnology based scientific advancements, there is also the promise of an improved future for mankind and the world in which he dwells. The line of demarcation is thin and easily crossed and therefore great care and planning must go hand in hand with technological advances.

Naysayers are quick to point out the many pitfalls of unbridled nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics research and implementation; however, to the chagrin of futurists, these non-progressive individuals fail to fully conceive of the many benefits these scientific advancements can and will provide. Progressive thinkers are quick to embrace the very real possibility of incredibly low-cost solar power, cures for debilitating disease via intensification of the human immune system, the ability to clean up our environment and the overall improvement of human existence that is not only possible but entirely plausible in the very near future because of nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics.

So, are nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics to be feared as an impending doomsday event or should they be embraced as miracles of the future? Only by carefully reviewing the past while embracing the future will we be able to tell. After all, if we are willing to build an artificial brain, we must be willing to construct one that is able to see what we cannot.

Nanotechnology and the Emphatic Computer

Nanotechnology and the Emphatic Computer

People show their emotions in many diverse and specialized ways, some of which a computer can be programmed to detect. By employing nanotechnology, a camera and image analysis software, some computers are able to observe a user’s body language and, with proper programming can accurately interpret a person’s posture, restlessness and various facial expressions like grimacing, smiling or scowling. Nanotechnology advances provide onboard sensors which can monitor heartbeats, breathing rates, fluctuations in blood pressure, and other subtle body changes such as skin temperature and voice inflection.

Because human skin has the capability of transmitting electric signals which can be utilized as a method of transmission, nanotechnology researchers have already been able to develop computers that are designed with nano sensors that have the uncanny ability to actually ‘see’ and ‘hear’ the people using them. Inevitably it is only a matter of time until the technology is available to create a computer that can readily identify whether their users are in high spirits or in a bad mood.

With ever advancing nanotechnology equipped computers, scientists figure it is entirely possible to develop a computer that is able to interpret a user’s mood via input it receives based on body language, voice tone and facial expressions and that it will be programmed to adjust itself by providing images designed to provide a feeling of comfort and serenity. Since emotions are ambiguous, transient and ultimately difficult to interpret, it would be very difficult for a computer to accurately construe the many human mood variances, regardless of how advanced the nanotechnology utilized. Therefore, in order to operate with any modicum of precision, a user would have to input the required data in advance.

Nanotechnology, with its sensor based abilities, gives programmers little problem with ‘intelligence’ based activities such as diagnosing a medical condition or participating in a game of chess, yet even with the major advancements in nanotechnology in recent years it is still somewhat of a challenge to design computers that accurately simulate human sight, audio functions, language interpretation and/or motor control.

Human vision and other sensory perceptions have evolved over billions of years and the how and why of their operations are still difficult to understand and/or simulate, while things like mathematics are explicitly taught and are, therefore, easier to express in a computer program.

Programmers are also attempting to employ nanotechnology advancements into programs that they expect to be able to accurately determine a person’s innate wishes regarding resuscitation should they fall ill and not be able to make that decision for themselves. Although, theoretically this information would be beneficial to medical teams, caution should be exercised whenever we allow a machine to determine matters relative to ethics. Regardless of the technology involved, machines are not equipped to differentiate between what is intrinsically right or wrong.

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