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Nanofuture: What's Next For Nanotechnology (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The first half of the twentieth century witnessed an explosion of technology that deeply affected the way we live..." (more)
Key Phrases: autogenous technology, nanoscale technology, hot bucket, United States, Utility Fog, New York (more...)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nanotechnology has become a hot topic in recent years, but few laypeople understand what it is. Hall writes that nanotechnology "involves building machines whose parts are of molecular size, but more importantly, of atomic precision...." He foresees nanotechnology progressing through five stages of development, stage one being our current ability to image objects at an atomic scale with a limited ability to manipulate them, and stage five being the ability of miniature robots to reproduce and learn from experience. A fellow of the Molecular Engineering Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., Hall devotes a chapter to his own concept, "Utility Fog," a fog composed of nanoparticles that will coalesce to form sofas, coffee tables and maybe even artificial plants, and then disintegrate back into fog. More realistic predictions include thin body suits that will control body temperature, allowing people to live in the tropics or in the Arctic and medical advances that will send artificial antibodies into the bloodstream to destroy bacteria or viruses. Hall admits that civilization could face many dangers as nanotechnology advances, but he argues that banning its development in the U.S. would only result in other countries or groups gaining technological dominance. Readers excited by the promises of nanotechnology will find this book a gripping read. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist

A leading nanotechnology researcher, Hall offers this popularization of the subject, covering the physical principles of engineering at the atomic scale, possible applications of nanomachines, and their potential alteration of human society. Before overreacting to that last prospect, readers would benefit from learning how a nano-sized gadget is built, which Hall explains clearly with references to chemical bonds, the van der Waals force, and quantum mechanical behavior. What to build comes next, and Hall explores the mechanical possibilities. Traits such as self-repair and self-replication, Hall avers, could be imitated by tiny machines designed for targeted medical therapies, as touted in a recent tract of techno-optimism, More Than Human, by Ramez Naam (2005). Hall also discusses wild-sounding household appliances--a synthesizer that makes clothes and furniture, air cars, fog composed of nanobots, and more that would make techno-pessimists, such as Bill McKibben (Enough, 2003), blanch, and Hall directs more than a few ripostes McKibben's way. Expressed in conversational prose, Hall's positive outlook gives readers the buzz behind the buzzword nanotechnology. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 333 pages
  • Publisher: Prometheus Books (May 6, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1591022878
  • ISBN-13: 978-1591022879
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #276,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #25 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Nanostructures
    #25 in  Books > Science > Physics > Nanostructures
    #33 in  Books > Science > Technology > Innovations

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More About the Author

J. Storrs Hall
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
The first half of the twentieth century witnessed an explosion of technology that deeply affected the way we live. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
autogenous technology, nanoscale technology, hot bucket, molecular manufacturing, naive mode, atomic precision, cold bucket, molecular machines, mass driver, ducted fans
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Utility Fog, New York, Eric Drexler, Moore's Law, Prisoner's Dilemma, Engines of Creation, First Ward, North America, Second Ward, World War, Maxwell's Demon, Sadi Carnot, World Wide Web
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Deja vu, November 16, 2005
I had the feeling I've read this book before. And in a way I have, because it recycles much of Eric Drexler's book, "Engines of Creation," from nearly 20 years ago, even copying Drexler's condescending way of explaining basic scientific and technological concepts. It would have made more sense for Hall to publish an updated edition of "Engines" and list himself as a co-author, instead of writing a largely derivative book of his own. He could still have put in a chapter about his "invention" of Utility Fog, yet another example of nanotech vaporware that many of us long-time "Transhumanists" probably won't live long enough to see. I didn't feel I got my money's worth, so borrow it from the library before you decide whether to buy it.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Hall needs an editor., December 8, 2005
I can't give this book more than two stars, and that's being generous.

Mr. Hall does present some interesting ideas, but unfortunately, his editors have done him a huge disservice. Here are the first three sentences of Stage I, on page 23;

Essentially what we have now--nanoscale science and technology--including the ability to image at the atomic scale with scanning probe microscopes, and a very limited ability to manipulate, that is, by pushing things around with the same scanning probes. A scanning probe is essentially like feeling something with a stick. Because you have a computer behind it, you can touch it in a very close grid of points and produce a picture.

I made it through the first fifty pages, and it didn't get any better.

I don't know if Mr. Hall had a final read before publication, or not, but someone should have stopped this book from being published until it was properly edited.







t
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Glimpses of Possible Futures, July 29, 2005
By Peter McCluskey (San Bruno, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This book provides some rather well informed insights into what molecular engineering will be able to do in a few decades. It isn't as thoughtful as Drexler's Engines of Creation, but it has many ideas that seem new to this reader who has been reading similar essays for many years, such as a solar energy collector that looks and feels like grass.
The book is somewhat eccentric in it's choice of what to emphasize, devoting three pages to the history of the steam engine, but describing the efficiency of nanotech batteries in a footnote that is a bit too cryptic to be convincing.
The chapter on economics is better than I expected, but I'm still not satisfied. The prediction that interest rates will be much higher sounds correct for the period in which we transition to widespread use of general purpose assemblers, since investing capital in producing more machines will be very productive. But once the technology is widespread and mature, the value of additional manufacturing will decline rapidly to the point where it ceases to put upward pressure on interest rates.
The chapter on AI is disappointing, implying that the main risks of AI are to the human ego. For some better clues about the risks of AI, see Yudkowsky's essay on Creating Friendly AI.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A Shallow Overview
One of the other reviewers suggested library, and I followed that advice. I am so glad I did! This isn't a book I'd want in my personal collection. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Judah

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction, but just the beginning
For those who are new to nanotechnology, this is a good place to start. But be prepared for a journey through a variety of disciplines that relate to this topic, including... Read more
Published 22 months ago by James A. Vedda

5.0 out of 5 stars Best nanotech book since "Engines of Creation"
It has been two decades since Drexler's Engines of Creation launched the beginnings of the nanotech revolution, and it has aged better than any other technical book I've ever... Read more
Published on February 15, 2007 by Tihamer Toth-Fejel

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book about what is next for science.
First of all I must say this book is not for the faint of heart or faint of mind. I wouldn't reccomend someone who hadn't been educated at a university or at least had interest in... Read more
Published on June 28, 2006 by Paul Mosier

5.0 out of 5 stars Predicting the Technological Future
Nanotechnology is one of the few emerging technologies that truly has the potential to significantly alter our future. Read more
Published on December 7, 2005 by John Matlock

5.0 out of 5 stars Explores a diverse set of possibilities for nanotechnology's applications
J. Storrs Hall's Nanofuture: What's Next For Nanotechnology explores a diverse set of possibilities for nanotechnology's applications, from flying cars and the elimination of... Read more
Published on December 4, 2005 by Midwest Book Review

5.0 out of 5 stars 2nd Industrial Revolution
The first industrial revolution spanned all technology introductions from the steam engine to the integrated circuit. Read more
Published on September 30, 2005 by Golden Lion

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent intoduction
For what the book says it will provide I was very impressed. Hall does indeed provide the content in a way that it is readable by people that do not have specilized knowledge in... Read more
Published on August 2, 2005 by Joseph A. Moody

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