1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to text Stuff, a production from my Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: and I love all things tech. And today we're going 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: to look at a classic episode of tech Stuff and 6 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: originally published on May two, thirteen, and it is titled 7 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: The Big Deal About Little Generators. This is all about 8 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: a hypothetical sort of technology, nano generators. Uh. Nanotechnology is 9 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: a fascinating one. It's also pretty complicated to talk about, 10 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: but Lauren Voge Obama and I try to break it 11 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: down in this classic episode, So enjoy. So I got 12 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: a little topic I want to talk about today, very little, tiny. 13 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: In fact, you might call it nano. Yes, in fact, 14 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: we would, because that's the topic technology. Everybody. Everybody's doing nano. Yeah, 15 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: everyone is, and depending on who you talk to, it's 16 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: either gonna destroy the world or rescue it. Yeah. So, um, 17 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,400 Speaker 1: what's the big deal, so to speak, A small thing? 18 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: The big deal is that it's a very very little deal. 19 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: In fact, one billionth of a deal or a nanometer 20 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: is one billionth of a meter and uh, to give 21 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: you an idea of how tiny this is the average 22 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: human hair is one hundred micrometers in diameter. Now, a 23 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: micrometer is a thousand nanometers, so that means that the 24 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: average human hair is one hundred thousand nanometers in diameter. 25 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: I should point out that that's average. I've seen a 26 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: number of numbers. Yeah, it's usually between sixty and one twenty. 27 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: That's normally, that's the average I normally see. But one hundred, 28 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: it's fair enough to say. So, yes, some people have 29 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: very fine hair. But we're kind of splitting hairs now, 30 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: aren't we. You've walked right into that one. So we're 31 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: talking about things on the tiny, tiny scale. Now, we're 32 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: not talking about the atomic scale, because that's actually smaller 33 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 1: than the nano scale. Yeah, because an atom is about 34 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: an atom. When you take the entire atom into account, 35 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: the average atom is about point one nanometers in diameter. 36 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: That's pretty teeny. So it's one tenth of a of 37 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: a nanometer. That's the atomic scale. We're getting pretty close 38 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: to the atomic scale. Yeah. Yeah, Now, if you want 39 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: to talk about the nucleus of an atom, do you 40 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: want to how big that is? Yes? How big? Of course, 41 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:28,959 Speaker 1: you want to know how big it is? A pleat cheese. 42 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: I thought I had you. It is point zero zero 43 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: zero zero one nanometers wide. Good grief, that's just the nucleus. 44 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: So when you when you strip away the electron shell, 45 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: it's tiny indeed. But anyway, nanoscale, we're talking about things 46 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: on this really tiny scale. Building machines that are on 47 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: this scale. Usually people say between one and one nanometers 48 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: is kind of within the nanoscale range. Um, building not 49 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:03,519 Speaker 1: just machines, but but really specific machines that can actually 50 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: potentially change the world, and um, it's it's pretty phenomenal 51 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: to think of building anything on that smaller scale. You 52 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: can't even look at these things with a light microscope 53 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: because they're so tiny because the the wavelength for visible 54 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:21,919 Speaker 1: light on the small scale of it over on the 55 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: violet spectrum, that's about four hundred nanometers for a wavelength. 56 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: So we're talking about having to use things like scanning 57 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: telling microscopes to look at the nano scale. Now, these 58 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: are special microscopes that emit a small charge electric charge 59 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: and then it interprets the data, sends it to a computer, 60 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: and you look at an image on a computer screen, 61 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: so you're not even really looking at the physical thing. 62 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: You're looking at a computer image representation of that thing. Right, So, 63 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: if if nanotechnology is that small, how do you make it? 64 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: Because you know, there are a lot of people who 65 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: talk about things on the nano scale, like, uh, you 66 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: know computer processor chips using nanotechnology, Uh, nano robots, which 67 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,119 Speaker 1: I'm told you might know something about a little bit. 68 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: You know, you know all kinds of things. How are 69 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: you building these tiny, tiny things if you can't even 70 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: really see them, if you were depending on a machine 71 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: to do it, for you to be able to look 72 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 1: at them, that's a tricky question. I'll there are two 73 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: different ways, right. There's the the top down approach, which 74 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 1: is where you actually drop stuff on it from above. 75 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: Not quite, but you build each component and you then 76 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,359 Speaker 1: put everything together. It's it's kind of like the classic 77 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: way you build anything, right, Like you would use a 78 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: top down approach to build say a car. You know, 79 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: you build the frame and then you attach various things 80 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: to the frame. I'm talking like I know anything about cars. Um, 81 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,919 Speaker 1: so different podcasts, different podcast Scott is way better at 82 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 1: it than I am. So the other way is the 83 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 1: bottom up approach. This is interesting, This is where you're 84 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: actually building things kind kind of um, like you're growing 85 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 1: them almost like you're growing machines UM, and you're doing 86 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: it adom by atom, molecule by molecule, and uh, I'm 87 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: not really sure which way it's gonna go. This is 88 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: an early early silent science. Even though it's been around 89 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: for a couple of decades, we're still, you know, just 90 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: barely in the beginning of it. So we'll see which 91 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: method ends up being the the prevalent one. UM. But 92 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: there are people working on it on either end, so 93 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: to speak, and to give you an idea of how 94 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: possible this is. In so we're talking about almost twenty 95 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: years ago. Uh, there was an IBM scientist named Don 96 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: Eisler who led a team who demonstrated that they can 97 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: manipulate individual atoms and they used a scanning tunneling microscope 98 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: to move atoms to spell I B M, I am 99 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: so not shot. Yeah, So you can actually there are 100 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: pictures of this on the internet. If you google you 101 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: know IBM scanning tunneling microscope. Uh, you can find pictures 102 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: of this where you see the image where each dot 103 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,839 Speaker 1: represents a separate atom. So they actually use the atoms 104 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: to spell the word. Well, and in two thousand four, 105 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: again IBM scientists are kind of leading the research in this. Uh, 106 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: they were in Zerich and they they showed that they 107 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: were able to change the charge state of individual atoms 108 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: by adding or removing electrons from an individual atom. Yeah. 109 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: So again they used a scanning telling microscope and they 110 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 1: had a charged point on the tip of that microscope, 111 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,919 Speaker 1: which comes to such an incredibly fine point that they 112 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: can do these things that can remove an electron from 113 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 1: one atom and and put it onto another. So we 114 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: have the technology to manipulate individual atoms. Now we have 115 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,840 Speaker 1: to get to the point where we can build my 116 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: lecular structures that work as tiny machines. All right, And 117 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: there are a couple different ways we can look into that. 118 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: One of the really popular things that people have been 119 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: talking about recently are carbon nanotubes. Have you heard of these? Yeah? Yeah, 120 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: it's the stuff that's supposed to, you know, do everything 121 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: everything you've ever heard of. Essentially, carbon nanotubes can apparently 122 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: do well. There there's such a versatile structure. Yeah, and uh, 123 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: you know, I'm very resilient. Yep. Yeah. It actually all 124 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: depends on how you how you roll the Yeah, how 125 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: you roll the tube. So, carbon nanotubes, the way you 126 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: create a carbon nanotube in general them I'm way oversimplifying here, 127 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: but you take a sheet of carbon atoms, all right, 128 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: they form molecular structure where it looks very like it 129 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: looks like a series of hexagons. And what you then 130 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: do is you roll this into a tube. You roll 131 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: the sheet into a tube, and depending on the angle 132 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: you use when you roll it into a tube, that 133 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 1: dictates them the properties the carbon nanotube will have. So 134 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: you know that, of course graphite is composed of carbon, 135 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: as are diamonds. Yes, but these two materials are have 136 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: very different properties. Graphites very soft, it's opaque. Uh, diamonds 137 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: not so soft, usually pretty clear. But the reason why 138 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: they're different is because of the way these molecules are arranged. 139 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: The same thing with carbon nanotubes. So if you arrange 140 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: them as specific way by rolling the sheet in a 141 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: specific direction, you can create a material that's hundreds of 142 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 1: times stronger than steel and six times is light. Well 143 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: what could what could possibly be a problem with Well, yeah, 144 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: the problem, as you pointed out, as it's very expensive. 145 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 1: It's there's no easy way to do it. It's no 146 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: easy efficient way right now that we can do it 147 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: on a mass scale. So it can be done. It's 148 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: just gonna be done in very small amounts, like on 149 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: the nano scale amounts, and it's being done in laboratories 150 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: and it's gonna take several years for that to move 151 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: from the laboratory to the production room. And um, when 152 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: it does, then we're gonna start seeing lots and lots 153 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,200 Speaker 1: of stuff with carbon nanotubes and it we we see 154 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 1: some already. There's some products that use carbon nanotube technology already, 155 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,839 Speaker 1: but it's not on the scale that the you know, 156 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,079 Speaker 1: the future of nanotechnology kind of promises us. But I've 157 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: seen things like everything from a Spider Man type suit 158 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 1: made out of carbon nanotubes because if you roll them 159 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 1: a certain way, they work very like a Gecks skin. 160 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:36,199 Speaker 1: You could climb walls and things with this stuff, which 161 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: is pretty neat. Yeah, yeah, I've got one on back order. 162 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: So anyway, Um, so that's kind of giving you the 163 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: lowdown on on where we are now and and you 164 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,839 Speaker 1: can find technology that does incorporate things on the nano scale. 165 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,839 Speaker 1: In fact, you're probably using one right now to listen 166 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,839 Speaker 1: to us. Yeah, because if you're using any sort of 167 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: device that has a microchip, chances are you've gotta transistors 168 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: on that microchip that are on somewhere in the nano scale. 169 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: I mean, if you have a recent computer, then it's definite, 170 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: you know, as long as it's not I guess a netbook. 171 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: You know, if you have one that has a powerful microprocessor, 172 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 1: you're talking about transistors that are only a few dozen 173 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 1: nanometers wide. So for example, Intel's uh I cors seven 174 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: I believe are what fortnomes wide? I think, yes, except 175 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:33,920 Speaker 1: it's Core I seven. Thank Yeah, I should have said 176 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,800 Speaker 1: to Haleem, I wrote about it as the Nehalem. But yes, 177 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: uh those are um, those are like like forty five 178 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: nanometers wide. I mean you're talking about stuff that's already 179 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,560 Speaker 1: out on the market that's at this scale. Hey guys, 180 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: before we continue this discussion about nanotechnology, let's take a 181 00:10:52,960 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 1: tiny little break to thank our sponsors. It was looking 182 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: at applications of nanotechnology and I found an article on 183 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,720 Speaker 1: on c net that in which they were talking about 184 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: using your voice to charge your cell phone. And uh, 185 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 1: apparently in order to do this they use they would 186 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:20,560 Speaker 1: they would use they should say, would they would use? 187 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: Barry Um tight nate crystals which are twenty three nanometers wide, 188 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: and to do that, it actually creates piezo electricity. It transfers, transfers, 189 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 1: it transfers of physical energy into electrical energy. Yes, exactly, Karma. Yeah, 190 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: so you know that's that's pretty neat to imagine that. 191 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: You know, these crystals that are are you know, in 192 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: the teens are not teens, but in the dual digit 193 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: nanometers size. You know, that's wow, so um so piezzo 194 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: electric that that essentially means that you're converting kinetic energy 195 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:02,839 Speaker 1: into elect to see or vice versa. And then no, 196 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 1: I was just gonna say, this is the same sort 197 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: of stuff you you've have in things like microphones and speakers, 198 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 1: that kind of thing where it's converting uh, one form 199 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: of energy into another. And crystal there's certain crystals that 200 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:19,559 Speaker 1: can do this, like quartz that that have this property 201 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: innately athium, tillium anyway. Um. And then they're the nano robots, 202 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,719 Speaker 1: which are great for you know everything. I read this 203 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: article written by you know this Jonathan Strickling guy. Yeah, 204 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: and vaguely remember writing that it's been it's been more 205 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:39,439 Speaker 1: than a year now. Yeah, but yeah, so nano robots, um, 206 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:44,080 Speaker 1: all kinds of medical applications for those. Yeah, here's the 207 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: here's the interesting thing about nano robots. Um, they don't exist. Well, yeah, 208 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:51,559 Speaker 1: we're pretty much in the micro stage right now to 209 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: be to be really fair, But assuming that we ever 210 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: get down to the nano size and are able to 211 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 1: build nano size robots, the applications are pretty amazing from 212 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: a medical standpoint. Um. For example, let's say that you 213 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 1: have a disease that's affecting a very specific part of 214 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: your body. And let's say the normal way to treat 215 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: this disease would be that you would have you would 216 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:19,240 Speaker 1: take you know, medication. Well, I'm thinking medication really, but 217 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:22,319 Speaker 1: we can get to surgery to in a minute. Um. 218 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: So let's say that it would normally do that you 219 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: would either get a shot or take some medicine orally 220 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:29,280 Speaker 1: or whatever. You would have to wait for that medicine 221 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: to make its way through your system, uh and to 222 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:38,439 Speaker 1: eventually affect the infected area. Okay, so the medicine is 223 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 1: already getting diluted through your bloodstream, it's taking time for 224 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: it to reach the infected area. Takes time for it 225 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:48,679 Speaker 1: to to uh take effect at the area and so 226 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: the whole recovery rate is slower than it would ideally be. 227 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: Now with a nano robot, theoretically you could direct it, 228 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:01,559 Speaker 1: or if you could find a way of making it autonomous, 229 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 1: it could direct itself to the infected area and deliver 230 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 1: a much smaller payload of medication directly to the infected area. So, 231 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 1: for one thing, you're not going to have the side 232 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: effects that you might have experienced through a larger dose 233 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 1: of medication because the dose is much much smaller. For another, 234 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: the application is immediate to the infected area, so you're 235 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 1: talking about it being much more efficient and having a 236 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: smaller impact on the patient's overall health. So that's that's 237 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: an ideal situation. Now for surgery, as you were pointing out, 238 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:41,320 Speaker 1: that's also a possibility you could create nano robots that 239 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: would have things like laser cutters that would essentially act 240 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: like a little scalpel, but they would be the incredibly precise, 241 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 1: far more precise than any human would be with a scalpel, 242 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: because they're on the nanoscale. You're talking about something so 243 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: small that it's blood cells are dwarfing it. So for 244 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: the could be an incredibly precise tool. I'm granted. Do 245 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: you think, well, with advice that's small, how could it 246 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: really be useful? A lot of these future projections suggests 247 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:12,960 Speaker 1: that you would not have just one of these little 248 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 1: nano robots working. They would there'd be thousands, perhaps millions 249 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: of them working together at the same time, and uh, 250 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: then you don't have to find a way of getting 251 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: them out. Or potentially you would have nano robots in 252 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: you all the time, and they could even act as 253 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: a preventive measure and keep you healthy and head off 254 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: any problems before they could really start, even uh bringing 255 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: up symptoms. Yeah, you were saying in the article that 256 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: they can be used to do things like break up 257 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: blood clots or you know, kidney stones. Oh man, and 258 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 1: they say breaking up is hard to do. You know 259 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: someone who has suffered from kidney stones. I gotta tell 260 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: you I would love to have had some. Yeah, if 261 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: nothing else then just to start have someone specific I 262 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: could scream at um instead of just the the the 263 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 1: directionless screaming that I did while I actually had them. 264 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: We'll be right back with some more big ideas about 265 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: tiny technology in just a moment after this quick break. 266 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: Now there's some big problems that we have to overcome. First, 267 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 1: we have to be able to create UM power systems 268 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: on that scale, something to power these robots. So we're 269 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: talking about batteries and capacitors that are have to be 270 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 1: incredibly tiny UM and that's that's a big challenge. Now, 271 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,160 Speaker 1: some doctors have and engineers have got around that by 272 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 1: creating robots that that propelled themselves, or actually they don't 273 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: really propel themselves, they are propelled externally. UM. There's one 274 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: that used m r I machine and you would use 275 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: the magnets in the m R I really to act 276 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: the robot, so you could actually, you know, kind of 277 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: the robot really was more passive, but you could direct 278 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,920 Speaker 1: it to specific spot within an artery system. Now, I 279 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,880 Speaker 1: should point out that the scientists who did this did 280 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: it with a pig. Um they were not doing human testing, 281 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:21,639 Speaker 1: but it worked went through the pig's arteries, so you know, 282 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 1: that's ah, it's nothing to sneeze at. Actually, I was 283 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: reading about a completely different application of nanotechnology. There was 284 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: sort of fascinating UM. Jennifer Lowell was blogging about it 285 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,119 Speaker 1: for uh for seen it, and she was talking about 286 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: the possibility that you could use nanotech to alter food 287 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 1: on the microscopic scale. UM. She actually was quoting Steve 288 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:50,160 Speaker 1: Bogan and the Guardian. UM. They were talking about essentially 289 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: how you could if you had a food that to 290 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:56,919 Speaker 1: which you were allergic, you could maybe make alterations to 291 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 1: it so that it would pass from your body without 292 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: being a problem. That would be interesting trick is you 293 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: know you could, uh, you could have problems with people 294 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: who don't particularly genetically modified food. You know, there's a 295 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: lot of people that are kind of creeped out by 296 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 1: the frank and food. UM. And you're talking about messing 297 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,359 Speaker 1: with things down again on a very very tiny level. 298 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 1: So that's pretty that's pretty significant. Um. But Bogan also 299 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:25,399 Speaker 1: mentioned the possibility that packaging could be made um to 300 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:29,280 Speaker 1: where the nanotechnology inside the food packaging could sniff out 301 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: when you know, the food started to give off gassing 302 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,440 Speaker 1: as it was decomposing and would change color to go, oh, well, 303 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: you know this thing, it's started to turn brown. We 304 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:39,400 Speaker 1: need to toss it out without even you know, sniffing 305 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: it or you know, sticking your finger on it and 306 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: going it feels kind of weird. Yeah, that would have 307 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,680 Speaker 1: prevented many, many memorable nights that I've had in my past. Yeah, 308 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:52,879 Speaker 1: I'm sure anyway, So, uh and and to talk a 309 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 1: little bit more about building these robots. One of the 310 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: one of the things that scientists are working on is 311 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,200 Speaker 1: to try and create specific can of nano robots called 312 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:05,000 Speaker 1: assemblers assemblers. Yet, now, assemblers do what you would think 313 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 1: they do. They assemble other nano machines. So they could 314 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: assemble other assemblers, So then you have a self replicating 315 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,359 Speaker 1: nano robot. Do you see where there might be a 316 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 1: problem with this? I feel its edging gradually towards the singularity. Right, 317 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: So we're talking about the potential for nano robots to 318 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: replicate themselves at such an incredible rate. And remember, as 319 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: soon as one gets replicated, it can start replicating, and 320 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: then the ones that replicates can start replicating, so it's 321 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 1: exponential growth. Right. Um, there's a scenario called gray goo. 322 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 1: Gray goo is this this doomsday scenario where nano robots 323 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:46,439 Speaker 1: in order to build more nano robots, they have to 324 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: create it out of something. You know, they're not building 325 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: it out of nothing. So what they're doing is they're 326 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,760 Speaker 1: they're in this scenario anyway, it is taking carbon out 327 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 1: of the environment and then building robots with them, so 328 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: that we're right. Everything a lot of stuff is made 329 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:04,840 Speaker 1: out of carbon on on our planet, turns out, So 330 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:07,360 Speaker 1: the idea here would be that the robots would start 331 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 1: to consume all the carbon in an effort to build 332 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: more robots. And of course, since it's exponential, it gets 333 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:17,719 Speaker 1: faster and faster every passing second. So this Tuesday scenario 334 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 1: has the entire world just turning into this writhing mass 335 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:24,440 Speaker 1: of gray goo as nano robots take over everything. I'm 336 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,880 Speaker 1: totally seeing the Sorcerer's Apprentice in my head. Sleep well tonight. Yeah, 337 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 1: I'm glad that we were able to take such a 338 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 1: rosy idea and go there with it. Well, I mean, 339 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:39,959 Speaker 1: it's it's obviously a worst case scenario, but uh, there 340 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:42,960 Speaker 1: are a lot of First of all, we're decades away 341 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,360 Speaker 1: from getting there. Second of all, there's no guarantee that 342 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:48,639 Speaker 1: that's what would happen if we even were able to 343 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:52,679 Speaker 1: create the nanotech assemblers. So I think we don't have 344 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,640 Speaker 1: to worry just yet. When the Singularity comes, then we'll 345 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: start worrying, all right, So we got about twenty years 346 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,360 Speaker 1: al right, guys, I hope you enjoyed this classic episode 347 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 1: of text Stuff. It was a lot of fun to research. 348 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,440 Speaker 1: I always love the sort of science fiction ee kind 349 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 1: of topics that we can look into. If you guys 350 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: have any suggestions for future tech stuff topics, let me know. 351 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 1: Reach out on Twitter or on Facebook. We use the 352 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: handle text stuff HSW for both, and I'll talk to 353 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 1: you again really soon. Text Stuff is an I Heart 354 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 1: Radio production. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit 355 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,800 Speaker 1: the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 356 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:37,199 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.