Self Replicating Machines

Being able to reproduce is one of the hallmarks of life. It's something machines, to date, have been unable to perform unassisted. There are some people trying to build a 3-D printing machine that will make all the parts necessary to construct another, identical machine. This is a step in that direction, but it's not the whole thing. You still need to be supply the raw materials, provide the machine with energy and assemble the pieces.



I read several of Ian M. Banks "Culture" Science-Fiction novels this year, and in these stories society has pretty much sorted that whole thing out. So, if you can have any thing you want, meaning your society has developed machines that can make anything you want, all you need is a source of energy and a source of raw materials, and a little patience. I mean if you want a spaceship the size of a planet, and you don't already have a system in place to construct such a thing, it is going to take time to gather the materials, time to process the materials into useable bits, and time to assemble the bits.

Presumably an advanced civilization would have access to as much energy as they require, and if they need more, they can just tell their machines to make more energy producing machines. As for raw materials, you would need a fleet of scouts surveying the universe for useful bits of material, and a fleet of mining machines and transports to acquire it and move it to where it is wanted.

If, however, you got several people who wanted really massive things, like spaceships the size of planets, it could put a strain on the ability of the machines to produce the desired result in a timely fashion. In other words, even in a world of endless bounty, greed could drive people into conflict.

Greed, though, is just an excuse. People thrive on conflict. As much as we claim to crave peace, nothing lights a fire under a person more than someone trying to put one over on them.

I found the video while I was wandering around on the net this morning. I started at Dustbury, but I don't really remember all the steps that led to this.