What is this new technology that has become the central focus of discussion in certain exclusive academic circles, and what potential does it hold for society? To most of my colleagues the term “Nanotechnology” holds little or no meaning. For other social actors there is little doubt that this concept will become the next new frontier. A frontier according to Melbin [3] is a pattern of sparse settlement in space or time. This accurately describes nanotechnology. It is still a field of science that is relatively unsettled and a wilderness waiting to be discovered. Until nanotechnology becomes mainstream and is fully discovered, it will thus remain a new frontier. How it will affect society, who and what will be enabled, and when it will be fully implemented remains a future discussion.
According to Eric Drexler [1], nanotechnology is the precise molecular positioning and purposeful manipulation of individual atoms to form matter into a host of usable products and commodities (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter, about 6 atoms placed side by side). Drexler, an early nanotechnology pioneer from MIT, has been joined by a host of scientists from medical doctors, polymer constructionists, biomedical researchers, electronics researchers, interface discoverers, space physicists, and computer scientists who argue that nanotechnology is the wave of the future.