The Reality of Sci-Fi

There is much discussion on the future implications of technology and where it is heading. Nanotechnology, or more simply the manipulation of matter on an atomic level, may literally allow us to change the world around us. How is this possible? Researchers have discovered that by rearranging the molecular building blocks of objects it is possible to create and transform an object into another object in the matter of a split second. In Ray Kurzweil’s “…And Bodies,” he discusses the possible advantages of nanotechnology to transform the physical property of objects as well as the possibility of transforming the physical world into virtual reality through nanotechnology and neural implant technologies. Kurzweil mentions one proposal of nanotechnology that gives us the capabilities of virtual reality and the abilities to switch from our kitchen to our bedroom in a blink of an eye. I could not imagine a world where any of this is possible nor do I know if I am fully convinced that humans could manipulate the laws of physics to accomplish such transforming powers.

However, there are many advocates of nanotechnology that are sure of its future implication. Dr. Michio Kaku, host of “Sci Fi Science” and physicist, predicts within the next 50 years, around 2050, nanotechnology will let us change the world around us by rearranging an object’s property with a couple of keystrokes. In a CNN article Kaku claims, “By midcentury, programmable matter starts to open up. You’ll simply write a software program, and you can literally change a chair into a table.” Dr. Michio Kaku is on the same side of the debate as Ray Kurzweil. Not knowing much about the reliability or the possible negative concerns, I am not sure where I stand on the future of nanotechnology.