Nanotechnology advocates warn that researchers should spend some time educating a public that may be either oblivious to the emerging field or nervous about potential abuses to fend off a luddite backlash.
Nanotechnology boosters have long hyped the field's potential, envisioning a future of nanobots and nanocomputers. But the scientists doing the grunt work in the field say the reality is a little more mundane.
Humans merging with robots and other technologies is "inevitable," says robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks. However, a lot of work still needs to be done, and the toughest task may be making humans comfortable with becoming something other than human.
Stephen Block, a biophysicist at Stanford University, argued that nanotechnology enthusiasts need to understand a great deal more about biological systems before they can accurately assess the potential for a nanotechnology revolution.