Outline
Just getting started! The text below is a rough outline, done at the beginning of our research and we do thus expect the outline to take shape and change as our project and research progresses.
1) Introduction:
i) What is nanotechnology and what is it used for?
-Brief description of the origin of nanotechnology and the ideas/research behind looking at the world in a different perspective.
ii) What is nanofabrication and how is this different from other forms of fabrication?
-Nanofabrication opens up new doors that can lead to perfection. It will be possible through nanofabrication, to build simple structures from scratch. (IBM has already written IBM on a metal plate, by placing single atoms in rows.)
Nanofabrication is interesting in the sense that it starts with the most fundamental which means that the structures shape and characteristics can be completely controlled provided that one has suffice knowledge about the subject. Nanofabrication also functions on such a tiny scale that there seems to be no limit to what one can create.
iii) Digital nanofabrication (DN)
- Nanofabrication will never become a success without adding the word digital. It is impossible for man to operate efficiently on such a small scale without automating the process with help from a computer. DN will enable the manufacturer to manufacture products for the world market and many industries could benefit greatly from this. DN would for example be useful in the micro processing industry, an industry that always strive to create smarter, faster and smaller chips. It is, however, not only structures/products on the nano scale that will benefit. Larger objects will also see a great improvement. Every molecule will be placed precisely and nothing will be left to chance, which in return means that the manufacturer will know exactly what he is dealing with, and can guarantee a better product.
2) Current Products
i) Using Nanotechnology
-Nanotechnology has yet to show its real usefulness. (IBM and Intel has leading research)
ii) Using Nanofabrication
-DN only exists in theory at the moment…
3) Characteristics of products that have digital nanofabrication possibilities
-Not all products are suited for being build with nanotechnology. It is usually merely extremely complex products that will be made with DN.
4) Drawbacks of testing for possibilities of digital nanofabrication
-None thus far, except for lacking funds and so on.
5) Benefits of digital nanofabrication (DN)
-Benefits are mentioned above.
6) Effect of DN
-How will the world economy respond if nanofabrication becomes an inexpensive type of digital fabrication?
-Other types of fabbing that deal with being very exact might find it hard to compete with DN.
7) What it will take to make DN a reality:
-It is possible in theory to have DN (good news) and we are not as far from complex DN as we might think. The field of nanotechnology is rapidly expanding and progresses are constantly being made.
ii) Financial/research
-The immediate financial benefits from research in nanotechnology are still uncertain, but it seems likely that nanotechnology, together with digital fabrication, will experience the same snowball effect that the computer industry has seen. The research in both fields will intensify as the possibilities for significant profit presents itself. The development of these two fields will eventually lead to DN.