Edinburgh scientists craft microscopic nanomachines

There's apparently a good bit of conflict at the University of Edinburgh, as we've got one esteemed fellow claiming that nanotech products are potentially dangerous, and now we've got a professor of chemistry insinuating that his nanomachines can change the world. Regardless of their personal differences, David Leigh has borrowed an idea from 1867 in crafting "a minuscule motor that could lead to the creation of microscopic nanomachines," and while he credits the "Maxwell's Demon" as its inspiration, he hopes these plans will actually lead to something substantial. The bantam motor is entirely solar-powered, and has been "devised to trap molecules as they move in a certain direction under their natural motion." Preliminary tests have shown a nanomachine moving a drop of water uphill by using molecular force, which gives researchers hope that this discovery will allow these diminutive machines to "do things that are much closer to what biological machines do." Of course, even Mr. Leigh admits that predicting just how this can or will effect society is difficult, but considering that he's aiming to to bring things that "could happen in a Harry Potter film" to fruition, we won't count him out just yet.

[Josh @ Feb 1st 2007 3:27PM]

Shouldn't they be called *nanoscopic* nanomachines?

[TyPe @ Feb 1st 2007 3:36PM]

Finally, someone has created little tiny curling irons.

[CowboyGA @ Feb 1st 2007 3:57PM]

Did anyone see that? The Doomsday clock just ticked one bit closer to "screwed."
I think I saw this on a SciFi movie. At first,we move water uphill. Next, robots enslaving humanity.

[Joe Maki @ Feb 1st 2007 4:03PM]

"one esteemed fellow claiming that nanotech products are potentially dangerous, and now we've got a professor of chemistry insinuating that his nanomachines can change the world."

These are not mutally exclusive :)

[Michael Flessas @ Feb 1st 2007 6:20PM]

Um, I would like really appreciate if those scientists would make a teeny tiny itsy bitsy nano-toenail fungus remover ya know?

[Adam C. @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:29AM]

Micheal Crichton wrote Prey in which nanomachines that were solar powered killed many of the researchers that were working on the project.

[Adam @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:30AM]

Michael Crichton wrote Prey in which solar powered nanomachines killed researchers.

[anonymous @ Feb 1st 2007 5:48PM]

I just saw "A New Breed" from the Outer Limits again yesterday ...

[pappy @ Feb 2nd 2007 8:28AM]

Ok, I guess I missed it. Where is the on/off switch?