From Nautilus to Nanobo(a)ts
2 February 2008, 18:13
Categories: molecular-machines--devices artists
We recently discovered a text on nanorobotics by Brigitte Nerlich at University of Nottingham. In the introduction to her paper, titled From Nautilus to Nanobo(a)ts: The Visual Construction of Nanoscience, Nerlich writes:
This paper examines the visual and verbal imagery surrounding the various ‘submarines’ that have travelled through popular imagination, from Jules Verne’s Nautilus driven by Captain Nemo, up to the most iconic and most recent representation of nanotechnology, from the journey through the hidden space of the world’s oceans on board the hidden space of a luxurious submarine, to expeditions into the hidden space of the human body as portrayed in films such as Fantastic Voyage, Inner Space and beyond. The paper aims to show that popular culture and imagination do not simply follow and reflect science. Rather, they are a critical part of the process of developing science and technology; they can inspire or, indeed, discourage researchers to turn what is thinkable into new technologies; and they can frame the ways in which the ‘public’ reacts to scientific innovations. Fictional images, be they lithographs in children’s books or stills from popular sci-fi films, play an important part in this process.
Posted by: The Editors
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