One of the founding fathers of nanotechnology: Who is Eric Drexler?

What is Nanotechnology?

A concept that is familiar to the scientific world but has settled into our new language; nanotechnology. Its history goes back a long way; to the 1970s. The term nanotechnology was first used by Norio Taniguchi. The concepts that first fed nanotechnology were signed by world-renowned physicist Richard Feynman. He made a name for himself with his speech, "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom", in which he talked about the possibility of synthesis through the direct control of atoms. In his speech, Feynman talked about the existence of a process that can control each atom and molecule separately, and in a sense, he opened a new page in the world of science. K. Eric Drexler, influenced by these concepts of Feynman, used the term nanotechnology in his 1986 book Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology.

Kim Eric Drexler (born April 25, 1955) is an American engineer best known for studies of the potential of molecular nanotechnology (MNT), from the 1970s and 1980s. His 1991 doctoral thesis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was revised and published as the book Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery Manufacturing and Computation (1992), which received the Association of American Publishers award for Best Computer Science Book of 1992.

Our famous scientist was born on April 25, 1955. He published his doctoral thesis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1991. He published his thesis a year later in a book called "Nanosystems: Molecular Machine Manufacturing and Computing". In order to guide the placement of molecules and atoms, the book covers how products can be produced using nanoscale (billionth of a meter) mechanical and robotic technologies, and topics related to molecular manufacturing. Drexler was awarded Best Computer Science Book in 1992 by the American Publishers Association.

Everyone knows Drexler as an MIT loyalist. He even received three diplomas from this institution. He received his Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Sciences in 1977. Afterward, he received his Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1979. In the continuation of his education, he received his doctorate in 1991 under the auspices of MIT Media Lab.

In the 1970s, Drexler was inspired by the ideas listed in the "Limits to Growth" report. This 1972 list listed ideas looking at population growth and limited resource supply. During his early years at MIT, he met physicist Dr Gerard O'Neill of Princeton University. Dr. Gerard O'Neill was known for his work on extraterrestrial sources and particle accelerations.

During the summers of 1975 and 1976, Drexler worked with NASA. During his work, he developed himself about space colonies. He helped make revolutionary metal films a few tens of nanometers thick, such as wax, to reveal the ability to use solar sails. He was also engaged in designing mass-drive models and presenting papers to the first three space fabrication conferences at Princeton.

In 1977 and 1979 he and Keith Hendon wrote a joint paper on steam gas production and space radiators. They both patented the invention described in this paper.

Towards the end of the 70s, Drexler began to develop his work on molecular nanotechnology (MNT). Molecular nanotechnology is a technology used for engineering functional or mechanical machinery at the molecular scale. In this area, Drexler was influenced by Richard Feynman's lecture "There's a Lot of Space Below", in which he discussed the manipulation of the individual atom.

Drexler wrote his book "Engines of Creation: The Approaching Age of Nanotechnology" in 1986. This book details the use of nanoscale assemblers, which have the capacity and ability to make copies of themselves and tiny machines that can form objects atom by atom. He also coined the term "grey sticky", which he used to describe what happens if molecular nanotechnology fails.

In 2013, he penned the book “Radical Abundance: How a Revolution in Nanotechnology Will Change Civilization”. In this book, he explained that he predicted that thanks to atomically precise manufacturing, societies would soon have the power to produce radically more than people wanted, and at less cost.

His then-wife, Christine Peterson, helped found the Foresight Institute. Its original purpose was to assist in the eventual production and use of nanotechnology. They ended their 21-year marriage in 2002. Drexler joined Nanorex, a company specializing in molecular engineering software, as chief technical consultant in 2005. A year later, he married his former investor, Rosa Wang.