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K. Eric Drexler

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K. Eric Drexler
Eric Drexler in 2013
Born(1955-04-25)April 25, 1955(age 69)
Alameda, California,U.S.
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology(BS, MS, PhD)
Known forForesight Institute
Scientific career
FieldsEngineering,molecular nanotechnology
ThesisMolecular Machinery and Manufacturing With Applications to Computation(1991)
Doctoral advisorMarvin Minsky

Kim Eric Drexler(born April 25, 1955) is an American engineer best known for introducingmolecular nanotechnology(MNT), and his studies of its potential from the 1970s and 1980s.[1]His 1991 doctoral thesis atMassachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) was revised and published as the bookNanosystems: Molecular Machinery Manufacturing and Computation(1992), which received theAssociation of American Publishersaward for Best Computer Science Book of 1992. He has been called the "godfather of nanotechnology".[2]

Life and work

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K. Eric Drexler was strongly influenced by ideas onlimits to growthin the early 1970s. During his first year atMassachusetts Institute of Technology,he sought out someone who was working onextraterrestrial resources.He foundGerard K. O'NeillofPrinceton University,a physicist famous for his work onstorage ringsforparticle acceleratorsand his landmark work on the concepts ofspace colonization.Drexler participated in NASA summer studies on space colonies in 1975 and 1976. He fabricated metalfilmsa few tens of nanometers thick on a wax support to demonstrate the potentials of high-performancesolar sails.He was active in space politics, helping theL5 Societydefeat theMoon Treatyin 1980.[3]Besides working summers for O'Neill, buildingmass driverprototypes, Drexler delivered papers at the first threeSpace Manufacturingconferences at Princeton. The 1977 and 1979 papers were co-authored withKeith Henson,and patents were issued on both subjects, vapor phase fabrication and space radiators.

During the late 1970s, Drexler began to develop ideas aboutmolecular nanotechnology(MNT). In 1979, he encounteredRichard Feynman's provocative 1959 talk "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom".In 1981, Drexler wrote a seminal research article, published byPNAS,"Molecular engineering: An approach to the development of general capabilities for molecular manipulation".[4]This article has continued to be cited, more than 620 times, during the following 35 years.[5]

The term "nano-technology"had been coined by theTokyo University of ScienceprofessorNorio Taniguchiin 1974 to describe the precision manufacture of materials with nanometer tolerances, and Drexler unknowingly used a related term in his 1986 bookEngines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnologyto describe what later became known asmolecular nanotechnology(MNT). In that book, he proposed the idea of a nanoscale "assembler" which would be able to build a copy of itself and of other items of arbitrary complexity. He also first published the term "grey goo"to describe what might happen if a hypothetical self-replicating molecular assembler went out of control. He has subsequently tried to clarify his concerns about out-of-control self-replicators, and make the case that molecular manufacturing does not require such devices.[6]

Education

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Drexler holds three degrees fromMIT.He received hisB.S.in Interdisciplinary Sciences in 1977 and hisM.S.in 1979 inAstro/Aerospace Engineeringwith a master's thesis titled "Design of a High Performance Solar Sail System". In 1991, he earned aPh.D.through theMIT Media Lab(formally, the Media Arts and Sciences Section, School of Architecture and Planning) after the department ofelectrical engineeringandcomputer sciencerefused to approve Drexler's plan of study.[7]

His Ph.D. work was the first doctoral degree on the topic of molecular nanotechnology and his thesis, "Molecular Machinery and Manufacturing with Applications to Computation", was published (with minor editing) asNanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing and Computation(1992), which received the Association of American Publishers award for Best Computer Science Book of 1992.

Personal life

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Drexler was married to Christine Peterson for 21 years. The marriage ended in 2002.

In 2006, Drexler married Rosa Wang, a former investment banker who works withAshoka: Innovators for the Publicon improving the social capital markets.

Drexler has arranged to becryonically preservedin the event oflegal death.[8]

Reception

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See also:Drexler–Smalley debate on molecular nanotechnology

Drexler's work on nanotechnology was criticized as naive byNobel PrizewinnerRichard Smalleyin a 2001Scientific Americanarticle. Smalley first argued that "fat fingers" made MNT impossible. He later argued that nanomachines would have to resemble chemicalenzymesmore than Drexler's assemblers and could only work in water. Drexler maintained that both werestraw manarguments, and in the case of enzymes, wrote that "Prof.Klibanovwrote in 1994, '... using an enzyme in organicsolventseliminates several obstacles... ' "[9]Drexler had difficulty in getting Smalley to respond, but in December 2003, Chemical and Engineering news carried a four-part debate.[10]Ray Kurzweildisputes Smalley's arguments.[11]

TheNational Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,in its 2006 review of theNational Nanotechnology Initiative,argues that it is difficult to predict the future capabilities of nanotechnology:[12]

Although theoretical calculations can be made today, the eventually attainable range of chemical reaction cycles, error rates, speed of operation, and thermodynamic efficiencies of such bottom-up manufacturing systems cannot be reliably predicted at this time. Thus, the eventually attainable perfection and complexity of manufactured products, while they can be calculated in theory, cannot be predicted with confidence. Finally, the optimum research paths that might lead to systems which greatly exceed the thermodynamic efficiencies and other capabilities of biological systems cannot be reliably predicted at this time. Research funding that is based on the ability of investigators to produce experimental demonstrations that link to abstract models and guide long-term vision is most appropriate to achieve this goal.[12]

In science fiction

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Drexler is mentioned inNeal Stephenson'sscience fictionnovelThe Diamond Ageas one of the heroes of a future world where nanotechnology is ubiquitous.[13]

In the science fiction novelNewton's WakebyKen MacLeod,a 'drexler' is a nanotech assembler of pretty much anything that can fit in the volume of the particular machine—from socks to starships.[14]

Drexler is also mentioned in the science fiction bookDecipherbyStel Pavlou;his book is mentioned as one of the starting points of nanomachine construction, as well as giving a better understanding of the waycarbon 60was to be applied.[15]

James Rollinsreferences Drexler'sEngines of Creationin his novelExcavation,using his theory of a molecular machine in two sections as a possible explanation for the mysterious "Substance Z" in the story.[16]

Drexler gets a mention inTimothy Leary'sDesign for Dyingin the "Mutation" section, briefly detailing the8-circuit model of consciousness(pg. 91).[17]

Drexler is mentioned inDC Comics'Doom Patrolvol. 2, #57 (published July 1992).[18]

Drexler is mentioned in Michael Crichton's 2002 novelPreyin the introduction (pg xii).[19]

The Drexler Facility (ドレクサー cơ quan) of molecular nanotechnology research in the Japaneseerogevisual novelsBaldr Skyis named after him. The "Assemblers" are its key invention.[20]

Works

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  • Engines of Creation(1986)
  • The Canvas of the Night (1990), (ar) Project Solar Sail, ed. Arthur C. Clarke, NAL/Roc (ISBN0451450027) Science Fiction.
  • Unbounding the Future(1991; withChristine Petersonand Gayle Pergamit) (ISBN0-688-12573-5)
  • Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery Manufacturing and Computation(1992)
  • Engines of Creation 2.0: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology - Updated and Expanded,K. Eric Drexler, 647 pages, (February 2007)
  • Radical Abundance: How a Revolution in Nanotechnology Will Change Civilization,May 7, 2013,ISBN1610391136
  • Reframing Superintelligence: Comprehensive AI Services as General Intelligence,K. Eric Drexler, Technical Report #2019-1, Future of Humanity Institute, University of Oxford, 210 pages (2019)[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Bayda, Samer; Adeel, Muhammad; Tuccinardi, Tiziano; Cordani, Marco; Rizzolio, Flavio (2019-12-27)."The History of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: From Chemical–Physical Applications to Nanomedicine".Molecules.25(1): 112.doi:10.3390/molecules25010112.ISSN1420-3049.PMC6982820.PMID31892180.
  2. ^Regis, Ed (2004-10-01)."The Incredible Shrinking Man".Wired.ISSN1059-1028.Retrieved2023-11-01.
  3. ^http:// nss.org/settlement/L5news/1980-treaty.htm[bare URL]
  4. ^Drexler, K. Eric (1 September 1981)."Molecular engineering: An approach to the development of general capabilities for molecular manipulation".Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.78(9): 5275–5278.Bibcode:1981PNAS...78.5275D.doi:10.1073/pnas.78.9.5275.ISSN0027-8424.PMC348724.PMID16593078.
  5. ^"Drexler: Molecular engineering: An approach to the development of general capabilities..."(citation).scholar.google.Google Scholar.Retrieved6 September2016.
  6. ^Giles, Jim (2004)."Nanotech takes small step towards burying 'grey goo'".Nature.429(6992): 591.Bibcode:2004Natur.429..591G.doi:10.1038/429591b.PMID15190320.
  7. ^McCray, W. Patrick (2013).The Visioneers: How a Group of Elite Scientists Pursued Space Colonies, Nanotechnologies, and a Limitless Future.Princeton University Press. p.215.ISBN978-0691139838.Retrieved6 September2016.
  8. ^Miller, James D. (2012).Singularity Rising: Surviving and Thriving in a Smarter, Richer, and More Dangerous World.BenBella Books.ISBN978-1-936661-65-7.
  9. ^"Nanotechnology: Of Chemistry, Nanobots, and Policy".Crnano.org.Retrieved2012-07-17.
  10. ^"C&En: Cover Story - Nanotechnology".Pubs.acs.org. 2003-12-01.Retrieved2012-07-17.
  11. ^Ray Kurzweil,The Singularity Is Near,2005
  12. ^abCommittee to Review the National Nanotechnology Initiative (2006).A Matter of Size: Triennial Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative.Washington, DC: National Academies of Science. p. 108.ISBN978-0-309-10223-0.Retrieved30 May2016.
  13. ^Stephenson, Neal (1998-08-27).The Diamond Age.Penguin Books Limited.ISBN9780141924052.
  14. ^results, search (2005-01-06).Newton's Wake: Novel(New ed.). London: Orbit.ISBN9781841492247.
  15. ^results, search (2007-01-09).Decipher(Reprint ed.). St. Martin's Griffin.ISBN9780312366964.
  16. ^"Excavation - James Rollins".James Rollins.Retrieved2018-05-08.
  17. ^results, search (2018-04-19).Design for Dying.S.l.: Forgotten Books.ISBN9781333214203.
  18. ^Noble, Barnes &."Doom Patrol #57 (1987-1995) (NOOK Comic with Zoom View)".Barnes & Noble.Retrieved2018-05-08.
  19. ^Crichton, Michael."Prey - Michael Crichton - E-book".HarperCollins US.Retrieved2018-05-08.
  20. ^"Baldr Sky Dive1" Lost Memory "".The Visual Novel Database.Retrieved2018-05-08.

Further reading

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