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Self-replicating machine

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+#REDIRECT [[Self-replicating machine]] {{R from merge}}
-The term '''clanking replicator'''  refers to an artificial [[self-replication|self-replicating]]
-system that relies on conventional large-scale technology and automation.
-They are also sometimes called "Auxons", from the [[Greek]] word ''auxein'' which means "to grow".
-The term evolved to distinguish such systems from the microscopic "[[assembler]]s"
-that [[nanotechnology]] may make possible.
-Whilst such a machine violates no physical laws, constructing a clanking replicator is considerably
-beyond our present technological capabilities.
-It is unlikely that this would all be contained within an single monolithic machine, but would rather
-be an automated factory that is capable of manufacturing all of the components that make it up
-and assembling them at a remote site.
-The factory could produce mining [[robot|robots]] to collect raw materials, construction robots
-to put new machines together, and repair robots to maintain itself against wear and tear,
-all without human intervention or direction.
-The advantage of such a system lies in its ability to expand its own capacity rapidly and without
-additional human effort.
-The idea of non-biological self-replicating systems was first seriously suggested by mathematician
-[[John von Neumann]] in the late [[1940s]] when he proposed a kinematic self-reproducing automaton
-model as a thought experiment.
-See von Neumann, J., [[1966]], ''The Theory of Self-reproducing Automata'', A. Burks, ed.,
-Univ. of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL.
-In [[1980]], [[NASA]] conducted a summer study entitled
-''[http://www.islandone.org/MMSG/aasm/ Advanced Automation for Space Missions]'',
-edited by [[Robert Freitas]], to produce a detailed proposal for the use of self-replicating
-factories to develop lunar resources without requiring additional launches or the support
-of human workers on-site.
-The proposed system would have been capable of exponentially increasing productive capacity and,
-in the long run, exploration of the entire galaxy within a reasonable timeframe.
-This study inspired the science fiction novel ''[[Code of the Lifemaker]]'' (ISBN 0-345-30549-3)
-by author [[James P. Hogan]].
-An early fictional treatment was the short story ''Autofac'' by [[Philip K. Dick]],
-published in [[1955]], which actually seems to precede von Neumann's original paper about
-self-reproducing machines.
-Another example can be found in the [[1962]] short story ''Epilogue'' by [[Poul Anderson]],
-in which self-replicating factory barges were proposed that used minerals extracted from
-ocean water as raw materials.
-Clanking replicators are mentioned briefly in the
-[http://www.foresight.org/EOC/EOC_Chapter_4.html#section01of03 fourth chapter] of
-[[K. Eric Drexler|K. Eric Drexler's]] book ''[[Engines of Creation]]''.
-There was an article about a proposed clanking replicator system to be used for developing
-Earthly deserts in the October [[1995]] [[Discover Magazine]], featuring forests of solar panels
-that powered desalination equipment to irrigate the land.
-In [[1998]], [[Chris Phoenix]]
-[http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&selm=6f0nui%248ih%241%40news.nanospace.com proposed] a design
-for a macroscale replicator on the sci.nanotech [[usenet|newsgroup]], operating in a pool of
-[[ultraviolet]]-cured liquid [[plastic]], selectively solidifying the plastic to form solid parts.
-Computation could be done by [[fluidic logic]].
-Power for the process could be supplied by a pressurized source of the liquid.
-As the use of industrial automation has expanded over time, some factories have begun to approach
-a semblance of self-sufficiency that is suggestive of clanking replicators.
-However, it is unlikely that such factories will achieve "full closure" in the near future
-so long as human labour and external spare part supplies remain conveniently available to them.
-Fully-capable machine replicators are most useful for developing resources in dangerous environments
-which are not easily reached by existing transporation systems.
-[[/Talk]]