From: avatar (avatar@renegadeclothing.com.au)
Date: Sun Feb 09 2003 - 22:24:34 MST
I saw these figures quoted in one article on nanotech from four or five months ago.
Sounds like Europe has invested lots in nano:
"To underline the point, he cites latest figures showing the US is now investing $730 million into nanotechnology (up to 2003), Europe EU1.2 billion, and Japan $600 million. [China several 100 million dollars]."
1 and a bit space shuttles worth in total!
Actually this is a more serious figure than ever before. This is the sort of commitment that led to higher figures in fusion research (before they pulled the plug, or most of it). Even if nano only gets 10 billion of the 100 billion it deserves, this will be enough. Nano is so broad it will have a "snowball effect", just as the internet did. More and more projects will accumulate to it because nano applications and manipulations are as as broad as the material world itself. It is a sort of extension of life and sentiency into more of the substructure of the biosphere and the sentient-derived-gaiasphere.
Scientists seem to believe in MEMS and materials nanotech no probs. My prediction for when they generically start to treat assemblers seriously (first stages): 2010, very seriously 2015.
Towards Ascension
Avatar Polymorph
'If natural evolution is so darned efficient, why didn't animals grow wheels?'
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