Thursday November 19, 2009

Source: http://www.wilmccarthy.com/HackingMatterMultimediaEdition.pdf

Wil McCarthy has specific a vision of the not-so-distant future. In his vision, every material and every technology is based on synthetic, human-created molecules. These molecules are made by using Wellstones, thus allowing humans to program materials of their choice by emulating atoms and re-aranging their electrons.

If the author of the article has this vision, it's because of his interest for Quantum Dots. Quantum Dots are basically 3D junctions that trap electrons inside and force them to act as waves. They make electrons act as though they were part of an atom. Therefore, by sending a certain amount of electrons to a dot, you can create the artificial atom of your choice.

This kind of research is already advanced and ready to use but there is still much to learn about the subject. The potential for a technology that allows people to program molecules is limitless.