This post is a slight diversion from the normal topics of interest here, but not by too far. You may be familiar with the work of Robert Freitas on the future of nanomedicine, and you may have read his essay "Death is an Outrage" at the Longevity Meme. Robert Freitas and Ralph Merkle's latest collaboration - like the Nanomedicine volumes, part of the groundwork for the future of nanotechnology - is now available for free online:
With 200+ illustrations and 3200+ literature references, [Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines (KSRM)] describes all proposed and experimentally realized self-replicating systems that were publicly known as of 2004, ranging from nanoscale to macroscale systems. The book extensively describes the historical development of the field. It presents for the first time a detailed 137-dimensional map of the entire kinematic replicator design space to assist future engineering efforts.
To be able to build nanomedical machines capable of acting as blood cells or repairing damaged DNA, then we have to know - in detail - how to build nanomachines, period. So if you want an idea as to what the future of advanced nanotechnology in medicine will hold, and how fast it's coming along, you have to keep your eye on the dry nanotechnology field. Each new advance will be incorporated into medical devices and new technologies before you know it.
For a more gentle introduction to the future of radical life extension via medical nanotechnology, you might want to read Chris Phoenix's "Nanotechnology and Life Extension."
Technorati tags: life extension, nanomedicine, nanotechnology