The Future of Robots?

Eric Drexler has theorized Atomically Precise Manufacturing where by manufacturing gets miniaturized down to a scale on the Nano level, but one thing that has always plagued Sci-Fi films is the concept of the nanobots, nanoids, nanites, nanomachines, or nanomites. This is a theory where by robots can be made on a nano scale. Those robots can combine to create larger more complex robots, or simply transform into anything that they need. This concept was widely used in the Terminator movies and was depicted as self-thinking metamorphic liquid metal.

Terminator 2 from 1991 set forth people believing that small nano bots 

could mimic any material and become any shape within seconds

The problem with this concept is that there just isn’t enough space to do this properly. Nano structures are just above the Angstrom scale and just larger than individual atoms. Essentially they can’t be made much smaller. Further more structures exit the Nano scale at approximately 1000 nm where they enter the micron scale. This is a very narrow window where we can design and create before things start to lose some of the quantum/Newtonian interactions that make nanotechnology so fascinating. Another way to look at is if the individual atoms are Legos, how many do you need in order to build your creation? And will the required number of atoms push the design out of the Nano scale all together?

 Artists renderings of Nano Bots always shows them as sleek forms, 

but in reality they would need to be constructed out of individual atoms.

Currently the requirements of circuit boards and integrated circuits are still too large to be properly implemented into small scale Nano bots. Additionally even if that was not the primary concern, making the propulsion, engines and pistons required for proper operation would most likely be impossible. The sizes and complexity involved just don’t suit the adaptation of small-scale robot as much as we have envisioned within our science fiction films.

The Nano bots that we do have are relatively simple. In this example shown above, this Nano Bot is delivering medication to cancer cells. Note the absence of moving parts or complexity. Most of the robot is constructed by self assembly and shape alone provides its primary function. "These devices were created using DNA strands that would self-assemble into a box with a controllable lid" (IFLScience).

Real life nano bots are amazingly simple. This Nanobot is modeled after the shape of eColi bacteria ( Prisco ).

Even if we could create robots and power them by integrated circuits 1-2 atoms in size, the programming required to control the robot would be significantly complex that the robot would almost be completely useless. Additionally the quantum/Newtonian interactions of Nano scale robots would mean that the construction and operation would differ from how we currently understand normal manufacturing processes as Nano scale robotics would have to take into account Physics and Chemistry before anything of uses can be created.

The final outlook is that Nano bots are not possible with our current understanding and capabilities. Even if we do make drastic leaps forward in Atomically Precise Manufacturing it is still very difficult to say that these robots would be possible simply because of the sizes involved. As it stands right now this is a concept better left to our imaginations and Science fiction.

Resources:

Fang, Janet. “http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/dna-nanobots-will-seek-and-destroy-cancer-cells.” IFLScience. IFLScience. 18 MAR 2015, Web. 20 Nov 2015.

< DNA Nanobots Set To Seek and Destroy Cancer Cells In Human Trial>.

"Nanobots." Wikipedia. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanorobotics >. 

Prisco, Jocopo. “Will nanotechnology soon allow you to 'swallow the doctor'?.” CNN. CNN. 30 Jan 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

< http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/29/tech/mci-nanobots-eth/>.