IEEE Fellows unveil nanotech predictions

Filed in archive Institutions on November 4, 2006

The IEEE just released a survey of its Fellows that contains some interesting predictions about nanotechnology's future. These scenarios were voted likely to occur within the next 20 years:

"Smart dust" devices will be widely deployed in sensor networks.

Nanoelectromechanical systems will go commercial.

Robust design tools for fabrication at the nanoscale will become available.

Microscale robotics will become viable.

It will be commercially viable to manufacture nanostructured materials to exact specifications without machining.

Pretty tame compared to much of the hype we hear from the business side, and a useful reality check (hat tip to Christine @ Foresight.com)