Debunking the Nanobot (Quinn Spadola, PhD) @NCASVideo

Uploaded November 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

Links mentioned in this talk have been added to the presentation and are listed below:

Self-replicating, sentient, consuming, or creating, nanobots are a popular tool in science fiction to explain fantastical abilities or threats worse than death. But what is the reality? What is a nanobot? What might they be able to do? Scientists and engineers can’t even agree on a definition for a nanobot–does the entire robot need to fit at the nanoscale or does it just have nanoscale components? Does that make your smart phone a nanobot? Artistic renditions of nanobots feed into ideas of spidery machines patrolling (or, perhaps, controlling) our bodies. Some scientists envision nanobots safeguarding our environment, removing pollutants, and monitoring exposure. Others are trying to harness nature’s nanobots and use viruses to do our bidding. The hype around nanobots and the natural inclination to assign them agency can lead to outlandish ideas about what nanotechnology will be capable of delivering, but does it hurt to dream of manufactured nanobots?

Quinn Spadola is a biophysicist who discovered her love of science education and outreach while completing her PhD. After receiving her doctorate, Dr. Spadola entered the Science and Natural History Filmmaking program at Montana State University. She was an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office from 2014 to 2016 and joined the contract staff in September 2016. There she works to build community around the National Nanotechnology Initiative, create engaging nanotechnology-themed content, and share the awesomeness of nanotechnology.

Views expressed in this video are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Capital Area Skeptics.

Links mentioned in this talk:

Do You Know What Nano Means? By E*D Films vimeo.com/29511081

complex.com/art-design/2012/07/ucla-researchers-develop-window-glass-that-collects-solar-energy

Invisibility - nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=41348.php

Hierarchical design of architectected materials - http://www.jrgreer.caltech.edu/research.php lowest density structure ever made – maybe

Artificial muscle - sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/artificial-muscle-can-heal-itself

Rice youtube.com/watch?v=OCKyMn-2edo

Nanosponges soak up oil again and again
phys.org/news/2012-04-nanosponges-oil.html

Chlorination-less, Abelardo Colon and Jennifer Gill, University of Puerto Rico

CNN: Will Nanotechnology Allow You to "Swallow the Doctor?"
edition.cnn.com/2015/01/29/tech/mci-nanobots-eth/index.html

Universal flu vaccine - wired.com/2015/08/scientists-get-one-step-closer-universal-flu-vaccine

ideastations.org/science-matters/hot-shots/hot-jobs/hot-jobs-biomechanical-engineering-nano-tattoo

openwetware.org/wiki/Biomod/2014/Braunschweig

phys.org/news/2016-10-nano-decoy-lures-human-influenza-virus.html

foresight.org/Nanomedicine/Respirocytes.html

nanotech-now.com/utility-fog.htm

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