
Engines of Creation
K. Eric Drexler(Author)
4th Estate (Publisher)
Published on 6. May 1996
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-85702-486-9 (ISBN)
Description
'Engines of Creation is by far the best book I have seen about the consequences of new technologies. It is ambitious and imaginative and, best of all, the thinking is technically sound.' Marvin Minsky, Donner Professor of Science, MIT
Engines of Creation addresses the coming revolution in machine building, the new found technology which will enable us to construct machines a thousand times smaller than a microchip or the same size as an enzyme. The field of 'nano-technology' (nano- means the billionth part) will revolutionise research into all areas of our lives from within the heart of the living cell to the depths of space itself. These machines will be able to analyse and construct virtually anything that can be conceived, atomic layer by atomic layer. Machines might be programmed for example to enter individual human cells and repair damage to destroy diseases, even prevent the very processes of ageing. Or small machines could be sent into outer space to construct space ships or complex scientific equipment out of basic ingredients that need be nothing more than earth and air. Beyond belief? Eric Drexler is never less than entirely convincing in his look forward to the next technological revolution.
Engines of Creation addresses the coming revolution in machine building, the new found technology which will enable us to construct machines a thousand times smaller than a microchip or the same size as an enzyme. The field of 'nano-technology' (nano- means the billionth part) will revolutionise research into all areas of our lives from within the heart of the living cell to the depths of space itself. These machines will be able to analyse and construct virtually anything that can be conceived, atomic layer by atomic layer. Machines might be programmed for example to enter individual human cells and repair damage to destroy diseases, even prevent the very processes of ageing. Or small machines could be sent into outer space to construct space ships or complex scientific equipment out of basic ingredients that need be nothing more than earth and air. Beyond belief? Eric Drexler is never less than entirely convincing in his look forward to the next technological revolution.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
268 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85702-486-9 (9781857024869)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
K. Eric Drexler is the world authority on nano-technology. He is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and president of the Foresight Institute