1.2 The early history of nanotechnology  (Page 3/4)

In addition, Engines of Creation also cautions about the possible dangers that accompany this kind oftechnology. Primarily, Drexler warns of the "gray goo," an amalgamation of self-replicating nanobots that would consumeeverything in the universe in order to survive (see Figure 5).

This book was highly influential as it brought nanotechnology to the mainstream scientific community for the firsttime. Though his theories of "gray goo" and molecular manufacturing were later criticized, there is no question that Drexler's work had aprofound impact on the establishment of nanotechnology as a scientific field.

The aftermath of engines of creation: impact and criticism

Directly after the publication of this book, Drexler founded the Foresight Institute, whose stated goal is to"ensure the beneficial implementation of nanotechnology."[11] Drexlerused this "institute" as a way to present his vision of molecular manufacturing that he vividly illustrated in Engines ofCreation. Thus, this "institute" was used to further propagate research, through his influential yet highly controversial depictionof nanotechnology and its future.

As a result, due to the publicity generated by both Drexler's work and institute, scientists from all over the worldbegan to have a vested interest in the field of nanotechnology. Dr. Richard Smalley (Figure 6), for example, specifically said that he wasa "fan of Eric" and that Engines of Creation influenced him to pursue nanotechnology. Moreover, he even gave Drexler's book tothe top decision-makers at Rice University. Though criticizing Drexler and his work in future years, Smalley, like other scientists, wereintrigued by this book and proceeded to do research in this new and evolving field.[12]

Drexler's vision of molecular manufacturing and assemblers has become, on one hand, a scientific goal, through theForesight Institute, and, on the other, a controversial issue. Some scientists have criticized Drexler's visions as impossible andharmful. Richard Smalley has led this movement against Drexler's almost sensationalist vision of molecular manufacturing. In their opendebate in 2003, Smalley writes almost scathingly, "you cannot make precise chemistry occur as desired between two molecular objects withsimple mechanical motion along a few degrees of freedom in the assembler-fixed frame of reference."[13]Furthermore, he also chastises Drexler for his "gray goo scenario" saying, "you and thepeople around you have scared our children---while our future in the real world will be challenging and there are real risks, there will beno such monster as the self-replicating mechanical nanobot of your dreams."[14]In contrast to Drexler's radical vision, Smalley realistically argued that nanotechnology could be used on a much morepractical and attainable level. As a result, due to the onset of academic criticism from scientists such as Richard Smalley,nanotechnology evolved from Drexler's vision of molecular manufacturing to a broad field that encompassed both practicalmanufacturing and non-manufacturing activities. Chemistry, materials science, and molecular engineering were now all included in thisscience.