Difference between revisions of "Gemstone metamaterial on chip factory"

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{{site specific definition}}
 
{{site specific definition}}
 +
[[File:NanofactoryChipTheVision.jpg|400px|thumb|right|A chip processing atoms/molecules to macroscopic products.]]
 +
[[File:PortableLivingroomNanofactory.jpg|400px|thumb|right|One possible form factor is similar to today's tablet computers. The protective hood could be dynamical deployed making it very backpack-portable. See: [[Form factors of gem-gum factories]]. For how products may look see: [[Likely visual appearance of gem-gum products]].]]
 +
[[File:productive-nanosystems-video-snapshot.png|thumb|400px|[[Assembly levels]] organized as [[Assembly layers]] as shown in the "[[Productive Nanosystems From molecules to superproducts]]" concept animation.]]
 +
[[File:Productive Nanosystems screencap-collage cutopen.svg|thumb|right|250px|A personal [[Nanofactory|desktop gem-gum factory]] that is in the process of extruding out some product. (Screencap collage of from concept video "[[Productive Nanosystems From molecules to superproducts|Productive nanosystems]]")]]
 +
[[File:AP personal fabricator mock-up.JPG|150px|thumb|right|Old mock-up using a Note1.]]
 
----
 
----
−
{{stub}}
+
'''Up:''' [[Advanced productive nanosystem]] <br>
−
----
+
'''Gemstone metamaterial on chip factories''' (or '''[[diamondoid compound|gem]]-[[diamondoid metamaterial|gum]] factories''' for short) are a main topic of this wiki.<br>
−
__TOC__
+
  
−
'''Up:''' [[Advanced productive nanosystem]]
+
== From molecules to super-products ==
−
+
−
Gemstone metamaterial on chip factories (or ''[[diamondoid compound|gem]] [[diamondoid metamaterial|gum]] factories'' for short) are a main topic of this wiki.<br>
+
−
A survey of alternative names that where used or are newly proposed can be found [[Alternatives_to_the_term_"Nanofactory"| >>here<<]].
+
  
−
* For a more general overview please go to the [[Main Page|main page]]. <br>
+
The idea is that a gem-gum factory will take in simple [[raw materials]] on one side. <br>
−
* For a more technical overview about gem gum factories check out: [[Design of advanced nanofactories]].
+
And out the other side come high performance atomically precise products for [[very low price]]. <br>
 +
There are no waste materials beside pure water and warm air.  
  
−
= What it is and what it does =
+
'''Video:''' <br>
 +
Here is a concept animation video (plus its discussion): <br>
 +
[[Productive Nanosystems From molecules to superproducts]] <br>
 +
It depicts some internals of a gem-gum factory. <br>
 +
What is shown in not derived from creative/artistic freedom but <br>
 +
from the results that were found by the [[exploratory engineering|theoretical analysis]] in [[Nanosystems]]. <br>
 +
The doubtful in the audience might want to read the page: <br>
 +
[[Macroscale style machinery at the nanoscale]].
  
−
{{Template:Nanofactory introduction}}
+
'''Building with air:''' <br>
 +
Given enough energy is supplied [[air as a resource|even the carbon dioxide in plain air could be be used as a building material resource.]] <br>
 +
Using carbon from the air to build stuff as plant's do (but quite differently in the details – See: [[Air as a resource]]).
  
−
= Self replication =
+
'''Produce faster with recycling:''' <br>
 +
Instead of using simple molecule [[raw material]]s old [[microcomponents]] can be [[recycling|recycled]]. <br>
 +
That should take less energy and be faster. <small>(See: [[On chip microcomponent recomposer]])</small> <br>
 +
Old [[microcomponent]]s for recycling could be supplied via a [[global microcomponent redistribution system]].
  
−
== Self replication in the bootstrapping process ==
+
'''Diversity of gem-gum factories:''' <br>
 +
Gem-gum factories will come in a wild variety of [[Form factors of gem-gum factories|form factors]]. <br>
 +
From as small as key-fob sized over phone sized, laptop sized, standalone photocopier sized, garage door sized, and maybe even seaport sized and beyond.
  
−
Highly compact [[self replication]] at the nanoscale (as it is present in the obsolete concept of [[molecular assembler]]s) is '''not (!!)''' a prerequisite for the bootstrapping of advanced nanofactories. For details about how the bootstrapping process could be performed check out the main article: "[[Bootstrapping]]".
+
== The factories innards – stepwise assembly successively bigger parts ==
  
−
== Self replication in normal usage ==
+
Inside the gem-gum factory products are assembled not right a way as a whole (there is no [[in place assembly]])
 +
but in small parts that are successively assembled to sucessively bigger parts via successively bigger robotics.
 +
This assembly process to successively bigger parts is called [[convergent assembly]].
  
−
Beside a sheer infinity of [[Further improvement at technology level III|useful products]] a gem-gum factory can quickly produce [[self replication|copies of itself]].
+
* The successivley bigger robotic assembly stages are here called [[assembly level]]s or [[assembly layer]]s.
−
It does not need any special fancy raw materials for this. The necessary [[abundance of raw materials|raw materials are abundant and everywhere available]]. Heck even the air you breath works if nothing else is available.
+
* The successively bigger part sized are here called [[component level]]s.
 +
* The successively bigger transport intermediary transport systems are here called [[routing level]]s or [[routing layer]]s.
 +
The [[assembly level]]s are interspersed with the [[routing level]]s.
 +
* Each [[assembly level]] sits between two [[component level]]s. Small parts get assembled to big parts.
  
−
So when you have a [[gemstone metamaterial on chip factory]] then you can make more gem-gum factories for all of your friends. Anywhere and anytime. And they can make more copies for all of their friends. Since everyone is linked to every other person on earth through a low number of acquaintanceships, see: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation wikipedia: six degrees of separation] (which btw is not entirely true), you can imagine how fast this can spread. We know it from software.
+
== Level after level – A recurring but changing cycle ==
−
Actually the limiting factor may very well be the the time it will take us to develop these devices.
+
  
−
[[Category:Nanofactory]]
+
Going up the levels from the very bottom the [[resource molecules]] to the last and topmost [[assembly level]] one finds that there is a recurring pattern.
−
[[Category:Technology level III]]
+
The same functionalities need to be done over and over again at different size scales.
  
−
== Specialization pushes self replicative capabilities into the macroscale ==
+
Depending on the size scale of the layer the same recurring functionalities need to be provided via somewhat different means.
 +
This is because of already predictable design constraints like:
 +
* [[scaling laws|physics behaves quite differently for different size scales]].
 +
* A focus on standardized mass produced parts motivated by lowest scale space constraints and a desire to maximize further up [[recycling]]
  
−
A main defining feature a gem-gum nanofactory (if not one of the most important ones)
+
Analyzing these design constraints can give us a [[naked core|crude preview]] of how the innards of a gem-gum factors might  eventually look like.  
−
is that while the whole system is general purpose all its various subsystems are highly specialized.
+
Of course an actual implementation might carry quite some differences. Especially some more or less useful legacy stuff from the
−
Much like what you find in a general purpose computer (moterboard, CPU, main bus,  …).  
+
[[bootstrapping]] [[pathway]] will likely be present.  
−
There's no magic general purpouse [[computronium]] inside.
+
  
−
This makes it:
+
== What would actually be inside – mapping out and comparing the recurring process steps ==
−
* much more efficient than the old and now obsolete [[molecular assembler]] concept
+
−
* not possess highly compact self replicative capabilities as the [[molecular assembler]] concept
+
  
−
Specialized one-task-only pick and place mechanisms (like [[molecular mills]]) can be smaller and faster than general purpose ones. Just as this is the case in macroscale factories.<br>
+
The table in the following section meanders repeatedly through the same functionalities at the different size scales.
−
When every standard part needs it's own production line then a system capable of self replication that needs many part types naturally becomes quite big.
+
* Rows are functionalities
−
Quite big meaning well visible for human eyes. As a wild guess think thumbnail size.
+
* Columns are levels
 +
By going through the columns you see how the same functionality is solved differently for the different size scales.
  
−
=== Resillient backup ===
+
Here in this wiki the size for the steps for the scales is chosen slightly arbitrary to be 32. Just because:
 +
* two steps then make roughly 1000 and
 +
* only four steps suffice to go all the way from big nano (atoms well visible) to small macro (parts well visible for anyone not almost blind)
 +
Size growth is geometric not arithmetic. The successive size-steps multiply.
  
−
Strewing out thumbnail sized gem-gum factory [[save point]] chips at strategic and random locations over the whole earth
+
__TOC__
−
that are specially designed for being able to bootstrap [[gem-gum technology]] from nothing but the device itself
+
−
could serve as a worst case [[backup plan]] for human technology and civilization.
+
  
 
= Stage vs step table =
 
= Stage vs step table =
Line 63: Line 85:
 
Matching to the basic [[assembly levels]] there are corresponding [[design levels]].
 
Matching to the basic [[assembly levels]] there are corresponding [[design levels]].
  
−
The [[assembly levels]] are about the size and character of the intermediary [[convergent assembly]] steps both the assembly systems (assembly chambers, assembly manipulators, ...) and the general character of the product-fragments assembled inside.
+
The '''[[assembly levels]]''' are about the size and character of the intermediary '''[[convergent assembly]]''' steps both the assembly systems (assembly chambers, assembly manipulators, ...) and the general character of the product-fragments assembled inside.
 
The [[design levels]] are about product design software that matches these levels.
 
The [[design levels]] are about product design software that matches these levels.
  
Line 71: Line 93:
 
|-
 
|-
 
! scope="col"| Caracteristics
 
! scope="col"| Caracteristics
−
! scope="col"| Level 0
+
! scope="col"| Level 0 [[Preprocessing step 1 (gem-gum factory)|a]] [[Preprocessing step 1 (gem-gum factory)|b]]
−
! scope="col"| Level I
+
! scope="col"| Level [[assembly level 1|1]] & [[assembly level 2|2]]
−
! scope="col"| Level II
+
! scope="col"| Level [[assembly level 3|3]]
−
! scope="col"| Level III (and up)
+
! scope="col"| Level [[assembly level 4|4]] (and up)
 
|-
 
|-
−
! scope="row"| Type of Components
+
! scope="row"| Type of processed [[Component]]s (inputs)
 
| [[moiety|Molecular fragments]] <br> '''wanted:''' versatile abundant and nontoxic elements
 
| [[moiety|Molecular fragments]] <br> '''wanted:''' versatile abundant and nontoxic elements
 
| [[Crystolecule]]s <br> '''wanted:''' standard building blocks (mass produced "nuts and bolts")
 
| [[Crystolecule]]s <br> '''wanted:''' standard building blocks (mass produced "nuts and bolts")
Line 82: Line 104:
 
| [[Product fragment]]s <br> '''wanted:''' composable metamaterials
 
| [[Product fragment]]s <br> '''wanted:''' composable metamaterials
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Examples for typical Components
+
! Examples for typical [[Component]]s
 
| Fragments of simple compounds CH<sub>4</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>, ... including at least some basic elements: C,H,Si,Ge,...  
 
| Fragments of simple compounds CH<sub>4</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>, ... including at least some basic elements: C,H,Si,Ge,...  
 
|
 
|
Line 99: Line 121:
 
* thermal switch material  
 
* thermal switch material  
 
* air accelerators
 
* air accelerators
 +
|-
 +
! Size of component typical comonents (or assembly chambers)
 +
| Molecule fragments have a fraction of a nanometer in diameter. (C-atoms: d~0.2nm). [[Assembly cell]]s have same size as in next assembly level (~32nm)
 +
| Crystolecules ~2nm to 32nm. [[Assembly cell]]s 32nm and bigger. As needed.
 +
| Microcomponents ~1000nm = ~1µm. [[Assembly cell]]s 1µm and bigger. As needed.
 +
| Product-fragments ~32µm. [[Assembly cell]]s ~32µm and bigger. As needed. Or direct [[in place assembly]] to final product.
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Comprehensible size comparison model scale 500.000:1
 
! Comprehensible size comparison model scale 500.000:1
Line 107: Line 135:
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Physical Properties (strength, wear, friction and more)
 
! Physical Properties (strength, wear, friction and more)
−
| atoms are eternally wear free <br> (for all practical purpouses)
+
| atoms are eternally wear free <br> (for all practical purposes)
 
|
 
|
 
* [[superlubrication|super lubricating]]
 
* [[superlubrication|super lubricating]]
−
* practically wear free
+
* practically [[wear free]]
 
* strong
 
* strong
 
| inheriting toughness  
 
| inheriting toughness  
Line 128: Line 156:
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Character of Manipulators
 
! Character of Manipulators
−
| fast mass production/preparation in stiff molecular mills <br> (employing 3 tip tricks)
+
| fast mass production/preparation in stiff molecular mills <br> (employing [[3 tip tricks]])
−
| conveyor belt assembly
+
| conveyor belt factory style assembly
−
| stiff manipulators with parallel mechanics akin to steward platform
+
| stiff manipulators with parallel mechanics akin to steward platform and delta robots
−
| conventional factory robot arms with serial mechanics. Even further up at macroscale: Highly dexterous tentacle robotics. Megascale: sparse cranes.
+
| conventional factory robot arms with serial mechanics. Even further up at macroscale: Highly dexterous tentacle robotics. Megascale: sparse cranes (of organic shape).
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Internal distribution / logistics
 
! Internal distribution / logistics
Line 147: Line 175:
  
 
{{todo|add miniature images and links to table}}
 
{{todo|add miniature images and links to table}}
 +
 +
== Nature of parts, robotics, and connection mechanisms across the scales ==
 +
 +
[[File:FromAtomToProduct-screencap.png|400px|thumb|left|'''Info-sheet:''' Illustrating what is going on in the [[assembly layer]]s of a gem-gum-factory.<br>yellow: kind of building blocks – red: kind of assembly – blue: kind of robotics]]
 +
See graphic on the left.
 +
 +
== Microcomponent recomposers as a separable Subsystem ==
 +
 +
Note that if you strip a nanofactory of the first assembly layer <br>
 +
(and maybe of the second assembly level too) then what you are left with (after fixing open ends) <br>
 +
is a [[microcomponent recomposer]].
 +
 +
A microcomponent recomposers ...
 +
* may either come as separate standalone device, or
 +
* the upper assembly layers of a gem-gum factory may be just used as a microcomponent recomposer.
 +
 +
'''[[Microcomponent recomposer]]s will likely have an extremely high maximal throughput if designed for that property.'''
 +
 +
See main page: [[Hyper high throughput microcomponent recomposition]]
  
 
= Nanofactory control =
 
= Nanofactory control =
Line 152: Line 199:
 
* hardware [[Control hierarchy|hierarchy of processing logic]]  
 
* hardware [[Control hierarchy|hierarchy of processing logic]]  
 
* software [[decompression chain]]
 
* software [[decompression chain]]
 +
* [[User interfaces for gem-gum on-chip nanofactories]]
  
 
[http://sci-nanotech.com/index.php?thread/15-nanofactory-block-diagram/ Block diagram of a nanofactory]<br> {{todo|include this broad image overview here}}
 
[http://sci-nanotech.com/index.php?thread/15-nanofactory-block-diagram/ Block diagram of a nanofactory]<br> {{todo|include this broad image overview here}}
  
−
= Alternate names =
+
Related: [[Materializable programs]]
  
−
Main page: [[Alternatives to the term "Nanofactory"]]
+
= Self replication of gem-gum factories =
  
−
== Existing names ==  
+
== Self replication in the bootstrapping process ==
  
−
* '''Nanofactory''' – quite problematic (see below)
+
Highly compact [[self replication]] at the nanoscale (as it is present in the obsolete concept of [[molecular assembler]]s) is '''not (!!)''' a prerequisite for the bootstrapping of advanced nanofactories. For details about how the bootstrapping process could be performed check out the main article: "[[Bootstrapping]]".
−
* ''Personal nanofactory (PN)'' – in analogy to Personal Computer (PC) – Introduced here: http://crnano.org/bootstrap.htm <br> Nanofactories could be seaport size and not privately owned. So this term is too restrictive.  
+
  
−
These lines author deems the widely used term '''"nanofactory"''' as quite problematic. <br>
+
== Self replication in normal usage ==
−
Both the "nano" part and the "factory" can be very misleading.  <br>
+
−
'''The problems:''' <br>
+
−
* Neither the factory itself nor the products of it are around nanoscale sized. Only the machinery inside is nanoscale.
+
−
* The term "[[nanotechnology]]" is mostly used for anyting '''but''' atomically precise gemstone metamaterial technology.
+
−
* The term factory hints towards building sized complexes that are not owned by private individuals. <br>Both of these assumptions often will be wrong.
+
  
−
== Names introduced in this wiki ==
+
Beside a sheer infinity of [[Further improvement at technology level III|useful products]] a gem-gum factory can quickly produce [[self replication|copies of itself]].
−
* '''Gemstone metamaterial on chip factory''' – It is not a factory that is only making chips. So the ''on'' in the name can't be ditched. 
+
It does not need any special fancy raw materials for this. The necessary [[abundance of raw materials|raw materials are abundant and everywhere available]]. Heck even the air you breath works if nothing else is available.
−
* ''Gem-gum factory chip'' – That would refer just to the chip at the very core. It seems too restrictive.
+
−
* '''Gem-gum factory''' – in analogy to ''gem-gum technology'' – ''"factory"'' may be a bit misleading
+
−
* ''gem-gum-fac'' – in analogy to ''gem-gum-tec'' which it is made out of and which it makes
+
  
−
* ''Atomically precise small scale factory'' – not so good because: What exactly does ''small scale'' mean?
+
So when you have a [[gemstone metamaterial on chip factory]] then you can make more gem-gum factories for all of your friends. Anywhere and anytime. And they can make more copies for all of their friends. Since everyone is linked to every other person on earth through a low number of acquaintanceships, see: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation wikipedia: six degrees of separation] (which btw is not entirely true), you can imagine how fast this can spread. We know it from software.
 +
Actually the limiting factor may very well be the the time it will take us to develop these devices.
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Nanofactory]]
 +
[[Category:Technology level III]]
 +
 
 +
== Specialization pushes self replicative capabilities into the macroscale ==
 +
 
 +
A main defining feature a gem-gum nanofactory (if not one of the most important ones)
 +
is that while the whole system is general purpose all its various subsystems are highly specialized.
 +
Much like what you find in a general purpose computer (moterboard, CPU, main bus,  …).
 +
There's no magic general purpose [[computronium]] inside.
 +
 
 +
This makes it:
 +
* much more efficient than the old and now obsolete [[molecular assembler]] concept
 +
* not possess highly compact self replicative capabilities as the [[molecular assembler]] concept
 +
 
 +
Specialized one-task-only pick and place mechanisms (like [[molecular mills]]) can be smaller and faster than general purpose ones. Just as this is the case in macroscale factories.<br>
 +
When every standard part needs it's own production line then a system capable of self replication that needs many part types naturally becomes quite big.
 +
Quite big meaning well visible for human eyes. As a wild guess think thumbnail size.
 +
 
 +
=== Resillient backup ===
 +
 
 +
Strewing out thumbnail sized gem-gum factory [[save point]] chips at strategic and random locations over the whole earth
 +
that are specially designed for being able to bootstrap [[gem-gum technology]] from nothing but the device itself
 +
could serve as a worst case [[backup plan]] for human technology and civilization.
 +
 
 +
= Alternate names =
 +
 
 +
There are several names for this concept. <br>
 +
Some already existing, some introduced in this wiki. <br>
 +
Some maybe problemaic like the name "Nanofactory" <br>
 +
See main page: [[Alternatives to the term "Nanofactory"]].
  
 
= Related =
 
= Related =
  
 +
* For the [[gemstone metamaterial technology]]<br> that these devices are made out of and <br>that these devices are making <br>check out: [[gem-gum technology]]
 +
* For a more general overview over atomically precise manufacturing as a whole including steps on the [[Pathways to advanced APM systems|pathway]] to this advanced target please go to the [[Main Page|main page]]. <br>
 +
* For a more technical overview about gem gum factories check out: '''[[Design of gem-gum on-chip factories]]'''.
 +
----
 
* Up to a more general concept: [[Advanced productive nanosystem]]s
 
* Up to a more general concept: [[Advanced productive nanosystem]]s
 
-----
 
-----
Line 187: Line 262:
 
* [[Gemstone metamaterial on chip factory]] are both part of and origin of [[in-vacuum gem-gum technology]]. <br>If that sounds paradox it's because of the chicken egg problem of [[Bootstrapping methods for productive nanosystems|bootstrapping such factories]].
 
* [[Gemstone metamaterial on chip factory]] are both part of and origin of [[in-vacuum gem-gum technology]]. <br>If that sounds paradox it's because of the chicken egg problem of [[Bootstrapping methods for productive nanosystems|bootstrapping such factories]].
 
-----
 
-----
−
* [[Design of advanced nanofactories]]
+
* '''[[Design of gem-gum on-chip factories]]'''
 +
* '''[[Productive Nanosystems From molecules to superproducts]]''' – The concept animation video
 +
* '''[[Advanced productive nanosystem]]'''
 +
* [[Visualization methods for gemstone metamaterial factories]] <br> including [[Distorted visualization methods for convergent assembly]]
 
* [[Technology level III|Gemstone metamaterial technology]] aka "advanced high throughput atomically precise manufacturing"
 
* [[Technology level III|Gemstone metamaterial technology]] aka "advanced high throughput atomically precise manufacturing"
−
* [[Convergent assembly]]
+
* '''[[Convergent assembly]]'''
−
* [[Assembly levels]] mapped to [[Assembly layers]]
+
* '''[[Assembly levels]] mapped to [[Assembly layers]]'''
−
* [[Discussion of proposed nanofactory designs]]
+
* '''[[Discussion of proposed nanofactory designs]]'''
 +
-----
 +
* '''[[User interfaces for gem-gum on-chip nanofactories]]'''
 +
-----
 +
* '''[[Semi hard-coded structures]]'''
 +
* '''[[Bottom scale assembly lines in gem-gum factories]]'''
 +
* [[Molecular mill]], [[Mechanosynthesis core]], [[Building chamber]]
 +
* [[Sequence of zones]]
 +
 
 +
== Complementary ==
 +
 
 +
* '''[[Molecular assemblers]]''' – outdated as sensible desirable far term target and <br>questionable as [[bootstrapping]] pathway towards more advanced systems (due to extreme difficulty)
 +
 
 +
= What it is and what it does =
 +
 
 +
{{Template:Nanofactory introduction}}
  
 
= External links =
 
= External links =
Line 201: Line 294:
  
 
[[Category:Site specific definitions]]
 
[[Category:Site specific definitions]]
 +
[[Category:PagesWithNiceTables]]

Latest revision as of 16:27, 11 February 2024

This article defines a novel term (that is hopefully sensibly chosen). The term is introduced to make a concept more concrete and understand its interrelationship with other topics related to atomically precise manufacturing. For details go to the page: Neologism.
A chip processing atoms/molecules to macroscopic products.
One possible form factor is similar to today's tablet computers. The protective hood could be dynamical deployed making it very backpack-portable. See: Form factors of gem-gum factories. For how products may look see: Likely visual appearance of gem-gum products.
Assembly levels organized as Assembly layers as shown in the "Productive Nanosystems From molecules to superproducts" concept animation.
A personal desktop gem-gum factory that is in the process of extruding out some product. (Screencap collage of from concept video "Productive nanosystems")
Old mock-up using a Note1.

Up: Advanced productive nanosystem
Gemstone metamaterial on chip factories (or gem-gum factories for short) are a main topic of this wiki.

From molecules to super-products

The idea is that a gem-gum factory will take in simple raw materials on one side.
And out the other side come high performance atomically precise products for very low price.
There are no waste materials beside pure water and warm air.

Video:
Here is a concept animation video (plus its discussion):
Productive Nanosystems From molecules to superproducts
It depicts some internals of a gem-gum factory.
What is shown in not derived from creative/artistic freedom but
from the results that were found by the theoretical analysis in Nanosystems.
The doubtful in the audience might want to read the page:
Macroscale style machinery at the nanoscale.

Building with air:
Given enough energy is supplied even the carbon dioxide in plain air could be be used as a building material resource.
Using carbon from the air to build stuff as plant's do (but quite differently in the details – See: Air as a resource).

Produce faster with recycling:
Instead of using simple molecule raw materials old microcomponents can be recycled.
That should take less energy and be faster. (See: On chip microcomponent recomposer)
Old microcomponents for recycling could be supplied via a global microcomponent redistribution system.

Diversity of gem-gum factories:
Gem-gum factories will come in a wild variety of form factors.
From as small as key-fob sized over phone sized, laptop sized, standalone photocopier sized, garage door sized, and maybe even seaport sized and beyond.

The factories innards – stepwise assembly successively bigger parts

Inside the gem-gum factory products are assembled not right a way as a whole (there is no in place assembly) but in small parts that are successively assembled to sucessively bigger parts via successively bigger robotics. This assembly process to successively bigger parts is called convergent assembly.

The assembly levels are interspersed with the routing levels.

Level after level – A recurring but changing cycle

Going up the levels from the very bottom the resource molecules to the last and topmost assembly level one finds that there is a recurring pattern. The same functionalities need to be done over and over again at different size scales.

Depending on the size scale of the layer the same recurring functionalities need to be provided via somewhat different means. This is because of already predictable design constraints like:

Analyzing these design constraints can give us a crude preview of how the innards of a gem-gum factors might eventually look like. Of course an actual implementation might carry quite some differences. Especially some more or less useful legacy stuff from the bootstrapping pathway will likely be present.

What would actually be inside – mapping out and comparing the recurring process steps

The table in the following section meanders repeatedly through the same functionalities at the different size scales.

  • Rows are functionalities
  • Columns are levels

By going through the columns you see how the same functionality is solved differently for the different size scales.

Here in this wiki the size for the steps for the scales is chosen slightly arbitrary to be 32. Just because:

  • two steps then make roughly 1000 and
  • only four steps suffice to go all the way from big nano (atoms well visible) to small macro (parts well visible for anyone not almost blind)

Size growth is geometric not arithmetic. The successive size-steps multiply.

Stage vs step table

You may meander through this table in two ways:

  • size wise column by column including all the repeating processing steps (including the assembly levels) and/or
  • type wise row by row showing how the chosen aspect of the processing chain changes with scale

Matching to the basic assembly levels there are corresponding design levels.

The assembly levels are about the size and character of the intermediary convergent assembly steps both the assembly systems (assembly chambers, assembly manipulators, ...) and the general character of the product-fragments assembled inside. The design levels are about product design software that matches these levels.

Assembly levels are mostly static and will likely only change significantly when the nanofactory itself receives an upgrade. The design levels are about software tools for actual concrete product design which may change on every production run (with the exception of hard coded assembly in the initial convergent assembly steps).

Caracteristics Level 0 a b Level 1 & 2 Level 3 Level 4 (and up)
Type of processed Components (inputs) Molecular fragments
wanted: versatile abundant and nontoxic elements 		Crystolecules
wanted: standard building blocks (mass produced "nuts and bolts") 		Microcomponents
wanted: reusable units (possibly indivisible) 		Product fragments
wanted: composable metamaterials
Examples for typical Components Fragments of simple compounds CH4, CO2, ... including at least some basic elements: C,H,Si,Ge,...

Crystolecules:

  • basic machine elements
  • basic structural elements

Microcomponents:

  • space filling polyhedra
  • adapter-parts
  • muscle motors
  • infinitesimal bearings
  • designed stress strain behaviour
  • power tweakable energy storage
  • thermal switch material
  • air accelerators
Size of component typical comonents (or assembly chambers) Molecule fragments have a fraction of a nanometer in diameter. (C-atoms: d~0.2nm). Assembly cells have same size as in next assembly level (~32nm) Crystolecules ~2nm to 32nm. Assembly cells 32nm and bigger. As needed. Microcomponents ~1000nm = ~1µm. Assembly cells 1µm and bigger. As needed. Product-fragments ~32µm. Assembly cells ~32µm and bigger. As needed. Or direct in place assembly to final product.
Comprehensible size comparison model scale 500.000:1 Model atoms have the diameter of an average human hair (0.1mm) Model crystolecules are from the size of a grain of salt to the size of a playing dice (1mm-16mm) Model microcomponents are the size of a big plant pot (~50cm) Model product-fragments are the size of a house (~16m). A 50m wide soccer court scaled down 1:500.000 is visible by eye - it has the width of a human hair.
Physical Properties (strength, wear, friction and more) atoms are eternally wear free
(for all practical purposes) 		inheriting toughness emulated properties via metamaterials
Methods for Connection
(Physical interfaces) 		covalent bonds advanced auto-align mechanisms
Character of Manipulators fast mass production/preparation in stiff molecular mills
(employing 3 tip tricks) 		conveyor belt factory style assembly stiff manipulators with parallel mechanics akin to steward platform and delta robots conventional factory robot arms with serial mechanics. Even further up at macroscale: Highly dexterous tentacle robotics. Megascale: sparse cranes (of organic shape).
Internal distribution / logistics Moiety routing: Note: even for basic hydrocarbon handling this is quite complex Major rail routing station: Note: Redundancy requires fail safe producers and consumers Minor rail routing station. For microcomponent recomposition
(Streaming?) 		No routing. (?)
Possibly general purpose robotic pick and place.
(Macroscale: Streaming parts through tentacle robotics?)
Airlocks and clean keeping All mechanosynthesis happens under practically perfect vacuum. No airlocks at this scale. Possibly early vacuum lockout of passivated crystolecules. Main vacuum lockout step. Passivated microcomponents can be assembled and disassembled in air. Possibly early clean-room lockout. Bigger product fragments can handle dust and dirt - to a degree.

(TODO: add miniature images and links to table)

Nature of parts, robotics, and connection mechanisms across the scales

Info-sheet: Illustrating what is going on in the assembly layers of a gem-gum-factory.
yellow: kind of building blocks – red: kind of assembly – blue: kind of robotics

See graphic on the left.

Microcomponent recomposers as a separable Subsystem

Note that if you strip a nanofactory of the first assembly layer
(and maybe of the second assembly level too) then what you are left with (after fixing open ends)
is a microcomponent recomposer.

A microcomponent recomposers ...

  • may either come as separate standalone device, or
  • the upper assembly layers of a gem-gum factory may be just used as a microcomponent recomposer.

Microcomponent recomposers will likely have an extremely high maximal throughput if designed for that property.

See main page: Hyper high throughput microcomponent recomposition

Nanofactory control

Block diagram of a nanofactory
(TODO: include this broad image overview here)

Related: Materializable programs

Self replication of gem-gum factories

Self replication in the bootstrapping process

Highly compact self replication at the nanoscale (as it is present in the obsolete concept of molecular assemblers) is not (!!) a prerequisite for the bootstrapping of advanced nanofactories. For details about how the bootstrapping process could be performed check out the main article: "Bootstrapping".

Self replication in normal usage

Beside a sheer infinity of useful products a gem-gum factory can quickly produce copies of itself. It does not need any special fancy raw materials for this. The necessary raw materials are abundant and everywhere available. Heck even the air you breath works if nothing else is available.

So when you have a gemstone metamaterial on chip factory then you can make more gem-gum factories for all of your friends. Anywhere and anytime. And they can make more copies for all of their friends. Since everyone is linked to every other person on earth through a low number of acquaintanceships, see: wikipedia: six degrees of separation (which btw is not entirely true), you can imagine how fast this can spread. We know it from software. Actually the limiting factor may very well be the the time it will take us to develop these devices.

Specialization pushes self replicative capabilities into the macroscale

A main defining feature a gem-gum nanofactory (if not one of the most important ones) is that while the whole system is general purpose all its various subsystems are highly specialized. Much like what you find in a general purpose computer (moterboard, CPU, main bus, …). There's no magic general purpose computronium inside.

This makes it:

Specialized one-task-only pick and place mechanisms (like molecular mills) can be smaller and faster than general purpose ones. Just as this is the case in macroscale factories.
When every standard part needs it's own production line then a system capable of self replication that needs many part types naturally becomes quite big. Quite big meaning well visible for human eyes. As a wild guess think thumbnail size.

Resillient backup

Strewing out thumbnail sized gem-gum factory save point chips at strategic and random locations over the whole earth that are specially designed for being able to bootstrap gem-gum technology from nothing but the device itself could serve as a worst case backup plan for human technology and civilization.

Alternate names

There are several names for this concept.
Some already existing, some introduced in this wiki.
Some maybe problemaic like the name "Nanofactory"
See main page: Alternatives to the term "Nanofactory".

Related

Complementary

  • Molecular assemblers – outdated as sensible desirable far term target and
    questionable as bootstrapping pathway towards more advanced systems (due to extreme difficulty)

What it is and what it does

A personal desktop gem-gum factory fabblet with dynamically deployed protective hood.

The personal gem gum factory is:

  • Your personal device that can push out virtually every thing* of your daily use.
    (* at least every inedible thing)

The personal gem gum factory makes:

  • Your products that are as cheap as the abundant mining-free raw materials that it processes.
  • Your products that are far superior to today's best and ridiculously expensive high tech products.
  • Your products potentially in an environmentally friendly effluent free way
    (also advanced recycling is faster than producing from scratch)
Graphical Infosheets: [1] (work in progress)

External links

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