Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: realmswalker on 05/10/2006 02:01:49
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Is it possible to create a robot that potentialy could use materials + solar cells to create parts of itself and then hook them together?
I could invision it this way:
A robot mother bot with solar panels and production centers.
It would
produce + charge smaller robot drones that gather resources and return them, then it melts + reshapes them to make solar panel parts + parts for new drones + parts for a new mother bot thing
would this work potentially?
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quote:
Originally posted by realmswalker
Is it possible to create a robot that potentialy could use materials + solar cells to create parts of itself and then hook them together?
I could invision it this way:
A robot mother bot with solar panels and production centers.
It would
produce + charge smaller robot drones that gather resources and return them, then it melts + reshapes them to make solar panel parts + parts for new drones + parts for a new mother bot thing
would this work potentially?
I see no theoretical problem to some similar sort of scenario, although many technical hurdles to be overcome.
One question I do have is what do you classify as a robot? Would an entire automated factory production line be regarded as a robot in your scenario – I see no reason to exclude it?
The real problem (technical, not theoretical) would not so much be in producing the energy gathering systems for the robot (there are far simpler systems it could use than solar cells, such as having bacteria degrade plant matter that then fed methane to fuel cells). The bigger technical hurdle would be having the robot build fabrication plants that can build future computing components that the new robots will need.
George
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I believe that the only way in which we can really explore the universe is to design benign and intelligent robots to do it for us and supply us continually with information about what they are observing. This should include closeups of the nearer stars and their planets and wider views of the sky. Such a robot would have to have significant self repair facilities as well as a reasonable degree of redundancy If such a robot could eventually land and be able to replicate itself (again on an uninhabited planet or asteroid using local materials) we could have an ideal scenario for a truly intelligent spacefaring race.
I am reasonably sure that if alien ships come to the earth they will almost certainly be robot explorers.
The way that this could be done is very interesting it will almost certainly have to be a bootstrap process in which the ship builds initially some very simple "workers" that help to gather and process materials and then slowly builds factories for the high technologies that will be needed for full replication.
Learn, create, test and tell
evolution rules in all things
God says so!
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quote:
Originally posted by Soul Surfer
I believe that the only way in which we can really explore the universe is to design benign and intelligent robots to do it for us and supply us continually with information about what they are observing.
In principle, this is perfectly sensible, with two caveats.
Since, ultimately, these robots could travel very large distances, they could be sending data back to a human race that they are not even sure still exists.
Secondly, how do you define 'benign'. What may appear benign to use could be highly threatening to some other life form (particularly if the robots do not even identify them as a life form).
George
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Agreed there is always a downside to everything but intelligent lifeforms should be recognisable and not sessile and single celled even then coldish asteroid mining is to be preferred to planetary excusions because of gravitational considerations. aliens of this type would probably work on plutons with occasional excrusins into the warmer parts of a stellar system (disguised as comets :-) )
Learn, create, test and tell
evolution rules in all things
God says so!