Where Are the Nanobots?

Oh wait, you can’t see them.

One of the robot apocalypse scenarios is that of the Grey Goo. Small, nano-size robot begin to replicate themselves, turning every material they touch into more raw product for building nanobots. That seems like a far out scenario. If they’re replicating anything, it’d be bitcoin mining rigs.

Nanobots have been high on the hype scale for some time. In medicine, they’re supposed to go into our cells and repair them or deliver medicine to the exact spot. In robotics, they can self-assemble into any shape, effectively becoming the T-1000 from Terminator (why bother, though?). In transportation, they can become smart lubricants or chemicals for diagnosing and repairing any issues.

But nanobots haven’t done much of anything yet. First, we really need to correct the scale issue. There are millibots and microbots are much more likely than nanobots anytime soon. Second, even at these larger scales, there are practical challenges in manufacturing tiny moving objects. Many research labs can produce dozens of micro-scale devices but we need to get to millions to have the effect we’re looking for.

The likely scenario is that we’ll start with targeted medicine that uses magnet guided clusters of medication-infused microscopic devices. When they get to their desired location, they can be agitated to help release the medication more effectively. This may allow for new ways of treating cancer patiences with chemotherapy.

For the “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” version of a nanobot, we’re likely two decades out. However, when that happens it might mean the end of aging. We’ll be toasting to our health with grey goo.