NBIC

Abstract

Progress in science and technology (S&T) is increasingly integrated across disciplines, application sectors, and societal goals. At the core of this process in the first part of the twenty-first century is the convergence and emergence of four foundational and transformational S&T fields, briefly called nano-, bio-, information, and cognitive (NBIC) technologies. Each of these four foundational S&T fields (a) has a basic building block, that is, an atom, gene, information bit, or neuronal synapse; (b) interacts with other fields within the NBIC system at all length and time scales and levels of complexity; (c) has a similar computational architecture building from its respective elements up to macroscopic systems; and (d) leads to conceptually new opportunities for knowledge, technology, and socioeconomic advancement. Unifying concepts of NBIC that were first introduced in 2001 by Roco and Bainbridge (2002) aim at achieving a better understanding of nature, branching out from new R&D results to create novel S&T platforms, creating new products and services, and improving human potential in activities such as working, learning, and aging. The NBIC convergence concept brings cognitive sciences together with the physical, chemical, and biological sciences into a system of foundational transformative intellectual and technical tools. This chapter briefly presents a history of NBIC convergence, along with its current status and future potential.