[extropy-chat] Social Implications of Nanotech

[Dan Clemmensen]

Eugen Leitl wrote:

>On Tue, Nov 11, 2003 at 10:23:27PM -0500, CurtAdams at aol.com wrote:
>  
>
>>Another specific benefit to nanotech (loosely defined) would be the ability 
>>to service inaccessible parts.  That could radically alter requirements for 
>>manufacturing and construction; things no longer need to be made accessible.
>>    
>>
>
>There are two different approaches to servicing: pull a defect module,
>replace, recycle the pulled part.
>
>The apparently superior approach: maintain service infrastructure within the
>module; diagnose trouble during operation and incrementally repair from
>within. Minus is that repair and diagnostic infrastructure dilutes
>functionality concentration in part volume.
>
>  
>
Actually, there is a third approach: Dynamically analyze the current 
streses on the sytem and
adapt the system to the stresses as they change. For example, the 
beginnings of a stress-induced
fracture can be thought of as a fault to be repaired, or alternatively 
as an indication that the design
needs to be modified.  If you use the second approach, the structure 
will adapt to the new load,
rather than being repaired to match a static design.

Curt's original observation can reduce the weight of a device 
dramatically: we no longer need
screws, flanges, etc. to permit access. Furthermore, we can design de 
novo without worrying
about how the part will be machined. It's amazing how severely the 
machining process
constrains a design.

The ability to depend on  dynamic repair reduces the weight even more. A 
static design must
acomodate the worst case in all dimensions. A dynamic design can depend 
on the fact that
nano-repair (or dynamic reaction) can react to a worst-case stress in 
one section of a device
by recruiting resources from another part of the device.

This effect will reduce the weight of a device by a lot more than the 
accesibility effect.

My guess is that these two effects taken together, along with the 
inherent increase in strengh of
due to atomic-scale precision engineering,  can reduce the weight of 
most devices by
a factor of 100 (un-analyzed guess.) Today's 1500KG SUV can be replaced 
by a 15KG device
with the same capabilities.