Nanotechnology: the next big thing

I'm currently on a lecture tour of the USA at the moment, so I haven't had time to update my blog recently. If it wasn't for my PA, Felicity, I couldn't complete most of my everyday functions.

I heard with much dismay of plans by the UK government to put controls on nano scale devices. I fear that this could spell the end for a promising new branch of technology.

The relentless march towards small things can be seen all around us. Everything is shrinking, from the size of computers and personal stereos to cars and satellites. Just because my MP3 player is the width of an atom, should it be subject to the same controls as those that govern pesticides and chemical weapons?

I can see that within 15 years, nanotechnology will be at the forefront of the advancement of mankind. When you brush your teeth with nanotechnology toothpaste, trillions of tiny robots will be working on the surface of your teeth, ridding them of plaque and food debris. This is just a first step - robots could be cleaning your blood of fatty deposits, even perhaps augmenting your feeble organic body with mechanical devices. I confidently predict that within 30 years we will have amongst us, a race of superhuman immortal cyborgs that can communicate with each other via the internet.

Who knows? Perhaps I'm thinking this right now....