Kim Eric Drexler

Kim Eric Drexler (born the April 25th 1955 with Oakland in California) is a American Engineer known to have popularized the Nanotechnologie.

Biography

Strongly influenced by the theories expressed in the report/ratio Halt with the growth? at the beginning of the Years 1970, Drexler begins off its studies with the Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT) by carrying out research and by publishing several articles on the space Colonisation under the direction of the doctor Gerald O' Neill with whom it also works on the Particle accelerator concept d´ .

Drexler works during the summers 1975 and 1976 with the NASA where it manufactures thick metal films only of a few tens of nanometers to show the possibilities d´une solar Voile.

At the end of the Seventies, it develops its first concepts related to the Nanotechnologie. In 1979, it is present at the famous conference of Richard Feynman Plenty off Room At the Bottom . Later, in 1986, it publishes a work Engines off Creation: The Coming Era off Nanotechnology in which he asserts by error the paternity of the term nanotechnology . This term is actually introduced in 1974 already by the professor Norio Taniguchi of Tokyo which l´utilize to describe the manufacture of materials of precision. However, in this book, it describes for the first time a hypothetical phenomenon of end of the world called Grey goo , caused by the theoretical loss of control d´une molecule able d´auto-reproduction.

Doctor Drexler obtains four diplomas of MIT:

Its second thesis of doctorate, the first on the nanotechnology, is published in 1992 under the name of " Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing and Computation ". This work receives off the price of the best publication scientist 1992 by l´ Association American Publishers .

L´une of the principal restrictions related to the nanotechology is the difficulty of creating machines with l´échelle atomic. L´une of the first ideas on the subject of Drexler was to create a assembler , namely a nano-machine consisting of an arm connected to a computer which could be programmed to build d´autres nano-machines and in particular a counterpart of itself with a lower size. However, l impossibility to build this assembler l´empêche to continue on this way.

Drexler and Christine Peterson (her wife with l´époque), found in 1986 the Foresight Institute controlled by the following mission: Preparing for nanotechnology: Foresight Institute' S goal is to guide emerging technologies to improve the human condition. Foresight focuses its efforts upon nanotechnology, the coming ability to build materials and products with atomic precision, and upon systems that will enhance knowledge exchange and critical discussion, thus improving public and private policy decisions.

In 2005, this declaration is modified to become: Foresight' S new mission is to ensure the beneficial implementation off nanotechnology. Foresight is accomplishing this by providing balanced, accurate and timely information to help society understand and utilize nanotechnology through public policy activities, publications, guidelines, networking vents, tutorials, conferences, roadmaps and prizes.

In August 2005, Drexler is engaged by the company Nanorex (manufacturing Logiciel S for l´industrie nanotechnologic and based in l´État of the Michigan) like Chief Technical Adviser . The company indicates on its Web site the publication of their first software called nanoENGINEER-1 for 2006.

The work of Drexler on the nanotechnology was criticized like naive by the Nobel Prize Richard Smalley in a article published in 2001, highlighting certain physics impossibility of sound assembler which, according to him could function only in l´eau. Finally, a debate between the various speakers was organized in December 2004

For l´anecdote, Drexler appears as l´un of the heroes of the book of Science-fiction L´âge of diamond .

Publications

  • Engines off Creation , 1986
    • Available on Engines off Creation - K. Eric Drexler
  • Unbounding the Future , 1991 with Chris Peterson and Gayle Pergamit, ISBN 0-688-12573-5
    • Available on Unbounding the Future: the Nanotechnology Revolution
  • Engines off Creation 2.0: The Coming Era off Nanotechnology - Updated and Expanded, K. Eric Drexler, 647 pages, (February 2007) - fulltext on Wowio

Sources

References

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