Actually, biological systems
do manipulate individual atoms. For example, there are enzymes that remove a hydrogen atom from one molecule and then attach it to another, though of course that is an extremely limited form of manipulation. Oh, and Christopher Lord? Proteins do
not replicate proteins, and each is limited to an extremely small number (usually one) of structural or enzymatic roles.
Mike Wong's <a href="http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Myths/Nanotech.html" target="_blank">The Nanotechnology Myth</a> is an interesting read. On building a metal ruler:
Quote:
1. How do you co-ordinate your activities with the pilots of the other nanobots? Is there a commander nanobot? Are there middle manager nanobots? Who assigns nanobots to which part of the ruler?
2. How do you know where to start, ie- how do you decide where one end of the ruler is going to be, and where the other end is going to be?
3. How do you communicate with the other nanobots? Radio transmissions? How do you communicate clearly with tens of thousands of other nanobots simultaneously? How do you align your movements with theirs? How do you plan?
4. How much fuel do you carry? That little nanobot vehicle of yours doesn't run on the power of positive thinking, so how much work can it do on a full tank? Where and how do you refuel? How long does it take you to refuel?
5. What is your propulsion system? You're not getting a free ride in someone's bloodstream like the sort of nanobot which looks for cancerous cells (a more sensible application of nanotechnology), so how do you maneuver about on the manufacturing table in order to help assemble this ruler? How do you jet up into the air to get on top of it if you need to? How much power do you have to combat gravity and air currents?
6. How do you deal with lost nanobots? In a normal manufacturing environment, air currents, static discharge, and other environmental disturbances could easily blow a nanobot out of the group or seriously damage it. Does the plan adjust automatically for worker turnover? Or must this ruler be manufactured in a vacuum-sealed clean-room environment? This is rapidly shaping up to be a ridiculously expensive ruler!
7. How much payload can you carry? If you're grabbing molecules or tiny particles and attaching them to this ruler, where do you get them from? How many can you carry per trip? How much energy does it take to weld each chunk of metal to the ruler? Do you realize that if you use larger particles per trip, the resulting ruler will have greater porosity? What are you going to do, weld molten metal into the gaps? Consider the energy costs of doing that!
8. How do you assure dimensional accuracy of the overall ruler? The nanobot working on the other end of the ruler is (as far as you're concerned) more than 30 kilometres away, remember? How do you know he's not higher than you are? Do you set up a laser-based perimeter system in order to confine your activities within simple geometric bounds? If so, how do you make more complex shapes than a flat ruler? Do you use tooling in order to confine your activities? If so, what conceivable advantage does this process have over simple die-casting?
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Of course, he is being generous to permit nanobots to get to the point where these questions even arise.
[ September 20, 2002: Message edited by: tronvillain ]</p>
09-20-2002, 07:46 PM
