Future Perspectives
As electronics get smaller and smaller, it is doubtful the functional devices will continue to
shrink by much. For example, does anybody REALLY want an iPod the size of a flea? Or a
cellphone the size of a fingernail clipping? Much like the current applications for transistors
could NEVER have been anticipated when they were invented, 50 years ago, the next technological
revolutions brought on, possibly, by molecular electronics cannot be seen.
However, a few things are likely to happen:
Stronger Gadgets
As the internal electronics shrink and devices still remain the same size, there will be a lot
of extra room for designers to make those gadgets more robust. Picture your mp3 player - if the
internals can be shrunk down to the size of a pea, then the rest can be filled in by
waterproof, impact-resistant plastics.
Smarter Computers
As feature sizes get smaller, it'll be easier for designers to make computers more and more
complex. This will allow computers to perform more complicated operations and some experts say,
it might pave the way for Artificial Intelligence.
Molecular Electronics Research
Right now, there is a lot of excellent research going on in the world of Molecular
Electronics. Someday, it might become an industry unto itself, but for the moment there is
exciting work being done at both Universities and companies worldwide. In Canada, a great
deal of
this research is also happening at places like the National
Institute of Nanotechnology and most Canadian Universities.
If you're interested in learning more about Molecular Electronics of Nanotechnology in
general you can find lots of articles in publications like Scientific American or Discover Magazine or try contacting your local physics
teacher.
© 2006 M. Busuttil, I. Kandikov, M. Lubrick, J. Mutus, J. Nantais