Rise of the Nanorobots: Advances in Control, Molecular Detection, and Nanoscale Actuation Are Bringing Us Closer to a New Era of Technology Enhanced by Nanorobots

In 1988, a Scientific American article by A.K. Dewdney [1] on the work of nanotechnologist K. Eric Drexler spurred public interest in the nascent field of nanotechnology and its potential for advancing humanity into a new technological age. The article portrayed a world run by nanoscale machines that could operate in any environment (Figure 1), with uses ranging from fighting infections in the human body to building tomorrow's skyscrapers. Nearly 30 years later, these visions of the future are closer than ever. Advances in microscopic imaging, nanobiotechnology, and collective control are ushering in the age of nanoscale robotics.