Introduction to Convergent Disciplines in Optical Engineering: Nano, MOEMS, and Biotechnology - Applied Optics Fundamentals and Device Applications - page 3

chemical constructions. It is certainly something to look forward to in future
biotechnology and biophotonics developments.
We previously designed sequences of digital optical logic gates to remove
the processing bottlenecks of conventional computers. But if we now look to
producing non-Von Neumann processors with biological constructs, we may
truly be at the computing crossroad for the “Kurzweil singularity.”
A recent article in Wired magazine entitled “Powered by Photons” [3]
described the emerging field of opto-genetics in understanding how specific
neuronal cell types contribute to the function of neural circuits in vivo—the
idea that two-way optogenetic traffic could lead to “human-machine fusions
in which the brain truly interacts with the machine rather than only giving
or only accepting orders….” The fields of proteomics, genomics, epigenetic
programming, bioinformatics, nanotechnology, bioterrorism, pharmacol-
ogy, and related disciplines represent key technology areas. These are the
sciences of the future.
References
1. Bray, D. 2009. Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell . New Haven: Yale
University Press.
2. Lane, N. 2009. Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution . New York:
W.W. Norton and Co.
3. Chorost, M. November 2009. Powered by photons. Wired .