Re: In my lifetime, what can I expect nanobots to do for me?

Nanotechnology is a branch of engineering that deals with the design and 
manufacturing of extremely small electronic circuits and mechanical 
devices built at the MOLECULAR level of matter.

It became popular as an experimental science after the invention of scanning 
tunnelling microscopy (STM).
In STM,the cantilever carries a tiny charge.The electrons which 
make the charge, stay in the cantilever as though thay are in a potential 
well.The atoms in the material tend to reduce the height of the wall at 
which time the electrons can tunnel through the wall.

An arrangement is provided in the STM to map the exact number of electrons 
that tunnel through the walls as the cantilever scans the surface. Thus the 
surface details are recorded. By modulating the voltage at the cantilever,it 
is possible to exert pulling and pushing forces on the atoms to place tham 
suitably on a surface.

One of the advantages of nanotechnology is the perfection in a task. 

One can use nanobots in almost any fields like medical, Engineering, millitary 
and so on. It may be not difficult to make a nanobot comprising of a few 
atome. But to make it to become of any use in the macroscopic world is 
difficult. It poses a big challenge to scale up the advantages of 
nanotechnology all the way up to macroscopic size.

In SELF ASSEMBLY this tremendous task has to be faced.
For example,when Germanium is deposited on silicon, because of the mismatching 
of lattice, a strain is developed at the interface. A strained state 
refers to a state with higher energy. However the lattice overcomes this 
strained state by the spontaneous formation of islands of Germanium by 
splitting themselves away from the Germanium film. It is considered 
specially here since some kind of desired order (i.e. the formation of 
islands) has taken place. Since it occurs spontaneously,the act of 
formation is called self organization.

Nanobots could act as drug carriers and supply medicine to the required part 
of a body. They could also fight against invading foreign particles in the 
body. Diseases which are tough to cure can be analysed further through 
nanobots.
The same applies for agriculture also.
Fossils could be studied more accurately.
Nanotubes can improve the strength and flexibility of artificial bone 
materials. 
Scientists have created a nanotube 10 times larger than 
previous current carrying nanotubes which may prove crucial for 
supercomputer and health applications.

It has been observed that when materials are reduced to very small 
dimensions,their properties undergo amazing changes.This could be a base for 
quantum computing.

The increased use of nanostructure-enhanced automation and robotics can 
provide reduction in manpower e.g. on the battle field.
For example artificially intelligent micro-robots developed as killer warbots 
could communicate with each other and collectively swarm and attack in a war 
field (think of ants!).

Artificial blood cells or respirocytes can enhance human performance. 

Clothes can be designed precisely like the one in the movie 'Tuxedo' played by 
Jackie chan and this is not a joke.

It must be well noted that there are equal chances of the tchnology being 
misused. The day is not so far when the engineering methods will  
become much cheaper and easier.The applications depend on ones 
intentions and your imagination may be the limit.