Primary Paper:

A manufacturing infrastructure built around a centrally controlled, relatively large, self-contained manufacturing system would avoid the problems created by molecular nanotechnology. A controlled nanofactory would pose no inherent danger, and so could be deployed and used widely; cheap, clean, convenient, on-site manufacturing would be possible without the risks associated with uncontrolled nanotech fabrication or excessive regulation.

Other Papers Completed or Planned:

The development of molecular nanotechnology (MNT) carries numerous risks, including the production of potentially unhealthy nanoparticles, the possible creation of tiny, destructive, self-replicating robots, and many others. The Precautionary Principle is often invoked when dealing with situations that might be hazardous; however, the label "Precautionary Principle" is attached to at least two different ideas, which must be analyzed separately. This paper discusses two forms of the Precautionary Principle and relates them to the purpose of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, and to CRN's policy recommendations.

Some theorists expect that MNT will cause a sudden, rapid advance in our ability to design and build nanotech products. Others argue that each product will require significant debugging, so that products will arrive in a stream rather than a flood, even after the first self-replicating assembler is built. This paper will describe the mechanisms and processes required to bootstrap a macro-scale, programmable nanofactory from a single self-contained assembler. Nanofactory structure, power requirements and thermodynamic efficiency, control of mechanochemistry, reliability in the face of radiation damage, convergent assembly processes including joint mechanisms, product design, and bootstrapping steps are discussed in detail. Bridging the gap between the first assembler and the flood of nanotech products can probably be accomplished in a matter of weeks.

A comprehensive survey of risks includes the obvious and the obscure, the ameliorable and the intractable, the deliberate, the accidental, and the incidental. Major areas of risk can be divided into military or security, economic, environmental, and cultural or lifestyle. Some risks are inherent in the technology; many others develop from the effects of widespread product development and manufacture.

This paper will take a hypothetical approach to reviewing various possible plans for administration of MNT. Specific scenarios will be followed from beginning to end as they interact with economic, governmental, and societal pressures. It will be shown that—as they are presently constituted—no single organization and no existing institution can meet the challenges created by this new technology.

[Abstract being developed]