Designing a machine that can replicate it's self!

[mScientist]

Is it possible to design a machine that can replicate it's self if we give it the materials it needs?

I'm thinking like robot that is programed to build replica of it's self.

or even like printer that print it's self.

 

Did any body accomplish any thing like this before?

If not, do you think that it could possibly be done.

If not, are there any law's of physics that prevent this.

(do cells do this?)

 

I couldn't find any good results on Google.

[pwagen]

It's not been done yet, but it's one of the ideas available for exploring the solar system if I'm not mistaken. Basically send a probe to some other star. When it's there, it gathers the material for building itself, and then sends then copies off to new stars. While this might be a little sci-fi, it's as far as I know a legit vision of future machines. This doesn't violate any laws of physics, but it's still somewhat into the future.

 

For further reading (including some examples):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine

[TonyMcC]

Sounds rather like an animal - or a human!

[mScientist]

Basically send a probe to some other star.

Sounds rather like an animal - or a human!

Thanks for the reply, but my idea was not to send the robot to other stars, or make life or something.

I was thinking, like here on earth.

If we achieve this we could then copy physical computers and have things like physical upgrade over the internet possible.

And computers will cost like only 0.1$ . And this will open the possibly for anyone even in some of the poor countries in south africa and others to use computer and the internet and learn from other countries and develop.

Edited April 24, 2011 by mScientist

[pwagen]

I was using the space probe merely as an example, as it was the first that came to mind.

 

The idea you're proposing was used by Asimov in his Robot series (chronologically the early ones according to Wikipedia). And indeed, his views were the same as yours, that it would "end the suffering" so to speak. I would guess the effect wouldn't be that dramatic, but it would definitely be a step forward, building machines that can make better copies of themselves. And I would guess it's somewhat related to the development of artificial intelligence?

 

In the link I posted above, scroll down to "Prospects for Implementation" to get a few ideas.

[Xittenn]

There are robots that make other robots but this is considered general manufacturing process. There are also 3D printers that could print every piece of itself and have it ready for assembly. I guess if you added an amount of robotics to its componentry you could have it assemble itself as well, but there would still remain the question of dyes and ink. It might even be feasible to have a processor making factory inside a PC case!

 

There really isn't anything to say that the equipment necessary to manufacture a cpu couldn't be miniaturized and stored inside a PC case! This isn't something that will probably happen though for a good number of reasons.

 

I think really there are two conditions that might make this an occurrence. On the one hand if an assembly of a variety of nanites were to be developed, this might make this a reality. Or if a piece of equipment was developed that had full mastery of energy and chemistry in which it could take matter and form a solution in a rather small amount of time; a sort of ultimate, do it all, chem lab meets machine shop meets star trek. I don't think these are things we will probably be seeing anytime soon, we can barely keep the machines we do have running properly.

 

But really the whole concept of machines building machines is again, general manufacturing process. They just don't tend to be the same machine self replicating. It's not that they can't, but why waste all of that material to manufacture into a device the ability to replicate itself when this is something that will almost never happen? You could think of it more like an ant colony, machines are born from a queen and there are different machines that play different roles.

 

Giving a computer the ability to upgrade it's own physical cpu would be very expensive!

[J.C.MacSwell]

Is it possible to design a machine that can replicate it's self if we give it the materials it needs?

I'm thinking like robot that is programed to build replica of it's self.

or even like printer that print it's self.

 

Did any body accomplish any thing like this before?

If not, do you think that it could possibly be done.

If not, are there any law's of physics that prevent this.

(do cells do this?)

 

I couldn't find any good results on Google.

 

Just because life is biological does not mean it can break any laws of physics. So we at least know it is possible.

[SMF]

A computer that replicates itself in order to provide inexpensive computers isn't possible. This is because such a device is just cutting out human labor in the construction but not all of the energy and materials costs. When biological computers are engineered that grow from a genome, use sunlight for energy, use any old biomass for raw material, and replace rare metals and plastics with fats and proteins, then replication might be made inexpensive. SM

[michel123456]

A robot replicating himself should first go mining and finding his own elements, then manufacturing its wires and other metal or other parts, then engineering a copy of itself that in the meanwhile should do something else than doing that all the time, like working for example.

 

One could ask why Mother Nature choosed sexual reproduction instead of simple replication like you proposed.

And after answering the question maybe choose the other way round and product male & female robots that will exchange with great pleasure small robots with the required information to grow up while gathering energy from the environnement.