Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Microbot Interstellar von Neumann Explorers
An interesting speculation on how aliens might explore the galaxy has been presented in a new paper by Zara Osmanov of the School of Physics, Free University of Tbilisi, 0183, Tbilisi, Georgia.
The basic idea is that rather than using large self-replicating spacecraft, as described by John von Neumann, to explore the galaxy, it might be more sensible to use tiny microbot spaceships. Not only are they easier to construct, you can build them in the interstellar medium or dust clouds, and not need to find asteroids or planets with large amounts of materials.
Considering the micro robots with sizes of the
order of 0.1µm we have found that the total number of robots after traveling ∼ 1pc might be of the
order of 1033 and even higher depending on the
density of the medium.
Temporal evolution of total luminosity has been
estimated and it was shown that the increment
might correspond to timescales of the order of a
month or several years implying that detection is
quite realistic. Regarding the spectral feature, it
has been argued that emission will take place at
least in the infrared energy band.
We have analysed efficiency of micro scale
Von-Neumann probes versus macro robots and
we found that the former might efficiently selfreproduce in the interstellar media whereas the
large scale automata can replicate only on rocky
planets, requiring additional manoeuvring.
All the aforementioned results indicate that if
one detects a strange object with extremely high
values of luminosity increment, that might be a
good sign to place the object in the list of extraterrestrial Von-Neumann probe candidates. In
the framework of the paper we have considered
the scenario when the Type-II civilization needs
to ”invade” the interstellar clouds by means of
the self-reproducing robots and it has been shown
that this process will inevitably lead to the observational consequences.
(On the interstellar Von Neumann micro self-reproducing probes)
What would it be like to encounter these tiny nanobots?
In her 1940 short story Devil's Pocket, F.E. Hardart describes explorers in the Coal Sack region. They are trying to salvage a ship known to have wrecked there. They found what appeared to be tiny lights all over the ship.
Using the maneuverable test box, they were able to capture a few of the lights, subsequently making an astonishing discovery!
"These lights are living entities of phosphorus. This hellish black cloud has been their home for lord knows how many thousands of years..."
"Evidently they have never had a planet of their own..."
Update 15-Sep-2024: Philip K. Dick described this in his 1955 story Autofac:
"I guess they must be all over Earth by now," Morrison said, "landing everywhere and going to work."
A thought struck O'Neill. "Maybe some of them are geared to escape velocity. That would be neat — autofac networks throughout the whole universe."
End update.
We have considered self replicating Von-Neumann
probes to study their observational characteristics.
By examining the micro robots, it has been shown
that typical timescales of replication might be several years and even less.
Four faintly visible lights, dimmer now in the brilliantly lit interior of our ship, beat against the quartz sides of the box. We could see no material bodies no form whatever, only four unblinking disembodied pin points of light...
The machinery was building a miniature replica of the demolished factory.
"Well," O'Neill said thoughtfully, "we're back where we started from. For better or worse . . . I don't know."
(Read more about machines colonize the universe)
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 10/15/2019)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Space Tech ")
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.' -
Solitary Black Hole Wanders In Space
'...the Hole is something like a vortex or a whirlpool?' - Frank K. Kelly, 1935.
Spaceplane From Virgin Atlantic
'ZARNAK, YOU'RE TO COMMAND A SCOUTING EXPEDITION --- FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!'
Taikonauts Exercise In China's Tiangong Space Station
'Joe got out the gravity-simulator harnesses...' - Murray Leinster, 1953.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'
Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...'
Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'
