Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!nanotech From: opus@triton.unm.edu (UseCondomsFight AIDS) Newsgroups: sci.nanotech Subject: Re: Is this stuff for real? Keywords: reality nanotech questions Message-ID: Date: 24 Mar 91 23:52:19 GMT Sender: nanotech@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Lines: 50 Approved: nanotech@aramis.rutgers.edu In article cphoenix@csli.stanford.edu (Chris Phoenix) writes: > > >Picture the following nanomachine, designed to prevent mutation: >*everything* will be under the control of one or more computers. If >these computers don't like what they see, they can shut down the >machine permanently. If they choose not to copy the machine, they >won't. And the copying process will also be under their direct >control. The nanomachine can't turn itself on--that has to be done >from outside. When a nanomachine is copied, it sends the contents of >all its computer programs back to the original. If the original >verifies that the program is correct, it can turn the copy on. >Otherwise, it won't. A machine under total computer control is >probably the easiest kind to build, anyway. This brings up an interesting point... Most likely a privately owned company will be producing a particular nanobot for a particular application. Now say that said company finds that the memory (whether it be organic, mechan- ical, or electrical is irrelevent) they will be using will work fine for about a week, but starts to show errors after this time period. The company has already made contractual agreements for other companies to produce this memory. (now assume that the nanobot is too complicated to be self-replica- ting, or that the FDA has not yet approved self-replicating nanotechnology) And if the nanobots have to stop operating after a week, but that the nanobot must work for atleast two weeks. Assume that the company has already made public statments about it's new nanobot. Instead of possibly breaking the job that the nanobot does and having to create two versions of the nanobot (greatly increasing the price), the company goes ahead with production. This scenario has happened in other technologies too many times to count. If this fictional nanobot were used to clean the teeth of dentists patients, could it possibly have it's memory corrupted and try to clean the brian? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Institute for Combat Arms and Tatics - System programmer MIDCO - Stereosyntatic Neurosurgery - System programmer opus@triton.unm.edu jkray@bootes.unm.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Most computers use memory that starts to show errors after about a millisecond. So they "refresh" the memory periodically. Any well understood phenomenon can simply be taken into account in an engineering design. What you have described above would constitute incompetent engineering, and the company would be out of business very soon. Unless propped up by the government... --JoSH]