A Closer Look at the Military Side of Nanotech
Mathias Schulenburg talks at Deutschlandfunk radio (20.2.2006) with Jürgen Altmann, a leading expert and critic on military applications of nanotechnology. Altmann recently published a book on the issue. He argues that with nanotech new options for military and also governmental surveillance of citizens may arise. Regarding miniaturisation new small weapons might be feasible, for instance, surface-to-air missles that may fit in your bag or pocket. With new ultra-tight materials metalls-free guns are possible; they cannot be discovered by present X-ray detectors at the airport. With so called smart dust the military could observe large areas and record any activity. Smart dust are tiny sensors with the size of grains of sand that communicate to each other by a wireless network. The are mostly invisible, like dust, and could also give the police, intelligence services or industrial spying new tools. Generally, Altmann demands for a scrutinizing view on nanotech achievements.