Revision as of 10:02, 29 September 2015

Why terminology is of paramount importance

efficient communication. Such that:

from what the speaker says listener understands what the speaker really means - avoiding confusion
the speaker does not have to resort to excessive elaboration - avoiding repetition
intangible vague ideas can be broken up into comprehensible sub-concepts

Goals of this page

documenting existing usage of terms (and in cases the history of its usage)
proposing guidelines for when using which term
collecting suggestions for new terminology

Clean Terms

Atomically Precise Manufacturing

Defined on the main page.
This term was heavily used in the book "Radical Abundace: how a revolution in nanotechnology will change civilisation" to solve perception problems.

Atomically Precise Technology

Umberella term for APM and the products creatable with APM.
It should be used in place of "Molecular Nanotechnology".

Mechanosynthesis

Defined on the "mechanosynthesis" page.

Machine Phase

Defined on the "machine phase" page

Machine Phase Chemistry / Mechanochemistry

Defined on the "tooltip chemistry" page.

Diamondoid Materials

Defined on the "diamondoid" page.

Diamondoid Molecular Elements

Dedined on the "diamondoid molecular elements" page.

Here's a suggestion for a more catchy and usable name: crystolecules

Advanced Molecular Machinery

A bit too generic like "Nanomedicine".

Molecular Assembler

Defined on the "technology level III" page

Molecular Manufacturing

Good for as an umbrella term for all APM technology levels.

Advanced production methods

A good term to start a conversation. Working the way up over current day 3D printing.

Terms Containing "Nano"

See "history" for why the prefix nano is problematic in many cases.

terms that probably pose no problems

Molecular Nanotechnology

This is the most widely used term for AP technology as of (2013)
Google searches yield the most relevant results when this term is used.
Wikipedia uses this still as the main term Moelcular nanotechnology

Productive nanosystems

Defined on the technology level III page.

This is currently the prevalently used term. APM systems could be used as alternative.

Nanofactories

Currently prevalently used term. There are several alternatives to the term "Nanofactory"

Nanobugs - OK if used in the right context

A term introduced by Erik K. Drexler to refer to the emerged zoo of SciFi-terms for mobile naoscale robotic devices That all vaguely refer to Molecular assemblers with the extra capabilities of super-mutatability and super-omnivorousity creating the far from reality global doomsday grey goo scenario. See history.

Advanced Nanotechnology

There is also advanced nanotechnology in the biological direction, so this term is too unspecific and should be avoided.

Nanomechanics - Ok

Nanostructures - in context Ok

Nanocosmos - in context Ok

Nanoscale - in context Ok

Machine Phase Nanotechnology - Ok (but uncommon)

Nanomedicine

Somewhat vague, medicine has always had subject areas about nano sized compounds.
An alternative may be "nanorobotic medicine".

Anorganic Nanorobotics / Anorganic Nanomechanics

Freely made up here, but seems quite fitting for technology level III

Useful for explaining the basics of APM to novices without needing to use the term "nanotechnology".

Terms to Avoid

Nanotechnology

This term is way too generic and has lost its original meaning. See "history" for more information.
The term Makrotechnology has the same specificity and it's clear why no one uses it.

Nanobots or Nanomachines

Spurs misinformed thoughts of artificial lifeforms.

Nanites

Makes sure one thinks of life like creatures (insects/bugs) which are dangerous because they are life like. Basic advanced productive APM systems are nothing like that. (see nanobugs above)

Nanorobotics / Robotic Nanotechnology

The terms robot and robotic are too vague. Beside factory style robotics in advanced APM systems it also includes things that have little to nothing to do with them. Some things that start to get called robots are:

extremely advanced "nanites" with insect like properties often encountered in contemporary science fiction
simple hinged boxes for drug delivery with the lid clamped closed or left open and thermally flattering around
The ribosome, bacterial flagella motors and other systems from nano-biology

Nanosubmarines

Not that bad for speculative medical nanodevices but propulsion and interaction with nanobiology is often imagined in wrong nonphysical ways.

General Terms

Terms to avoid

Drexlerian (technology)

This makes him (Erik K. Drexler) sound like some religious leader. It has been [to verify] even intentionally used to emotionally discredit folks who see potential in the technology or even discredit E. Drexler himself. Also it points to mainly to diamondoid assemblers - a concept that he has abandoned before he wrote Nanosystems. Diamondoid materials are also not his singular focus. (See Technology level I)

Alternatives:

advanced atomically precise manufacturing / advanced APM (technology)
diamondoid nanomechanics (technology)
how about gem-gum technology
...

technological evolution

Before using it check if you really mean evolution not an other type of improvement process like targeted design.
Some evolutionary traits:

lots of unexpected mergement of seemingly unrelated ideas
brute force trial and error visiting much more dead ends than successful continuation points

In a strict observation the term technology generation inherits the meaning of evolution too.

the flawed biological analogies

Theres at least as much difference as there is overlap with biological concepts. Using biological terms makes one see only the overlaps. It usually leads to a very flawed and twisted picture of APM systems. The following list below can be used as a starting point for a dictionary. If you think of the left you might want to use the right instead.

whomb - building chamber / mechanosynthetic core
reproduction - replication
grow(th/ing) - build(ing) up
seed of ... - proto ...
ingestion / eating - take in
excretion / (you can guess) - expulsion
metabolism - resource management / material management / recycling
limbs / arms / legs - manipulators / grippers / linkages / ...

terms for precise distinction of often confused aspects

atomic precision & atomic resolution
stages, zones, levels, steps, layers ... [todo: cleanup needed]
stereotactic & robotic ... [todo: cleanup needed]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 * the speaker does not have to resort to excessive elaboration - avoiding repetition
 * intangible vague ideas can be broken up into comprehensible sub-concepts
+= Goals of this page =
+* documenting existing usage of terms (and in cases the history of its usage)
+* proposing guidelines for when using which term
+* collecting suggestions for new terminology
 = Clean Terms  =

Difference between revisions of "APM related terms"