The three axes of the Center for Bits and Atoms

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The three axes

Taken as a loose transcript from an interview with Neil Gershenfeld.

Axis1: Scales

Similar processes across scales
nano-micro-meso-macro

Axis2: Tools

  • 10 x 1Mio$ – research tools
  • 10 x 100k$ – workshop tools – to make the machines
  • 10 x 10k$ – 3D printer and lasercutters – to make projects => how to make almost anything class and fablabs
  • 10 x 1k$ – machines made with the machines that can virally reproduce (RepRaps)

Axis3: Nature of manufacturing

Computers controlling machines

First CNC mill 1952 MIT
(Digital manufacturing I think)

The "buy the whole non-locally pre-produced machines" phase.
Exponential scale-up of fablabs due to a standard inventory.
Like an open source hardware BOM.

Rapid prototyping of rapid prototyping

Rather than picking a machine compose the machine.

  • number of axes
  • open-loop / closed-loop (sensors or not I suppose)
  • additive / subtractive

Machines keep changing with projects.
Tools are expressive of what you do with them. You compose the too for the task at hand on the fly. A standard set of building blocks for machines rather than a standard set of machines.

This is still "print and cut" (rather big machine modules with complex innards as monolithic pre-produced to compose I suppose).

High level software needs to directly interfave with low level hardware.
Things like *.stl file triangulations and *.gcode files (batch processing indirections) need to be killed off.

Related: Direct control, stateless actuators, jumping over triangulation (stl) and slicing (gcode).
No batch-processing in the decompression chain.
Lowest level machine control (microstep motor signals)
directly from high level code.

Assembling and disassembling

  • MicroLEGO
  • Modular carbon fiber structures

Digi-key in stock: 500k types of Transistors, 500k types of Capacitors, 500k types of Inductors
"Assembler" can make all these out of 3 parts (seems questionable …) (not referring to molecular assemblers here obviously) Make anything from just 20 parts

Different machines and supply chains merged in just one machine.

(Digital control over matter I think)

Programmable materials (why this name?)

Assemblers assembling assemblers (not necessarily nanoscale).
Self replicating machines.

Machines go away. Life in inorganic materials.

Related: RepRec pick-and-place robots (GemGum)
Wiki authors comment: There is nothing remotely life like on this though.
There's a complete lack of independent nanoscale self contained capability of evolving.
For that macroscale computers and macroscale minds are needed (human or AI no matter).
What applies id the Replication pentagon rather than the reproduction hexagon.

For some super-speculative SciFi thoughts see: Gem-gum goo & Artificial life

Thoughts to this

TODO

Related

External links

The whole tour:

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