John von Neumann n n Born Dec 28
John von Neumann n n Born: Dec. 28, 1903 Budapest, Hungary Died: Feb. 8, 1957
John von Neumann n n n Quantum Logic Game Theory Ergodic Theory Hydrodynamics Cellular Automata Computers
Self Replicating Systems Self replicating systems were first proposed by John von Neumann in the 1940 s. His idea for a self replicating assembler has been used by Drexler to develop a simple system. Figure 3: Drexler’s Architecture for a Self Replicating Assembler (Ref. 2)
Father of ALife – John von Neumann’s Automata n Assumptions n n n Characteristics n n n Computation universality Construction universality 29 states, 2 D Cellular automata Environment of infinite resources Self Reproduction into identical copy Input tape with data and instructions Evolution explained as well Significance – precursor to DNA discovery
Richard Feynman (1918 -1988) n n Shared Nobel Prize in Physics, 1965 Known also for his personality n n n “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman” “What Do You Care What Other People Think? ” Unique combination n Theoretical physicist Practical Iconoclast
Grandfather of nanotechnology n n n “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom: An Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics” Presented at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society, 1959 Published in Caltech’s Engineering and Science, 1960
Photo-reduction n What would it take to inscribe the entire Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin? n n Reduction in size by 25, 000 Each dot would be the size of 1000 atoms In 1959, it was known how to read something that small. Feynman argued that soon we would be able to write that small.
Other forms of encoding n n Represent each character (letter, number, etc. ) as a sequence of dots and dashes. Represent dots with one kind of metal (125 atoms), dashes with another. Store in 3 dimensions. All human knowledge could be stored in a piece of dust 1/200 th of an inch wide!
Prediction: microcomputers “There is nothing that I can see in the physical laws that says the computer elements cannot be made enormously smaller than they are now. ”
Predictions “But I am not afraid to consider the final question as to whether, ultimately – in the great future – we can arrange the atoms the way we want; the very atoms, all the way down!” – Feynman, 1959 D. M. Eigler, E. K. Schweizer. Positioning single atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope. Nature 344, 524 -526 (1990).
Prediction: Year 2000 “In the year 2000… they will wonder why it was not until the year 1960 that anybody began seriously to move in this direction. ”
Copyright © 1998 by Sidney Harris
K. Eric Drexler (1955 -) n n Ph. D, Molecular Nanotechnology, 1991 Books + + + n n Engines of Creation, 1986 Unbounding the Future, 1991 Nanosystems, 1992 Father of nanotechnology Founder and chairman, Foresight Institute
Engines of Construction n n Everything is made of atoms. Millennia ago, we manipulated trillions of atoms at a time. Throughout history, we’ve gotten better at manipulating matter. In the future, we’ll be able to manipulate individual atoms.
What’s a machine? “Any system, usually of rigid bodies, formed and connected to alter, transmit, and direct applied forces in a predetermined manner to accomplish a specific objective, such as the performance of useful work. ”
Universal assemblers n n n Nanomachines able to build any legal configuration of atoms Once the first universal assembler is built, the “two-week revolution” will begin. Also universal disassemblers n n Clean-up Duplication
A hydrocarbon bearing http: //www. zyvex. com/nanotech/bearing. Proof. html
Neon pump
A proposal for a molecular positional device
Swallowing the surgeon. . . it would be interesting in surgery if you could swallow the surgeon. You put the mechanical surgeon inside the blood vessel and it goes into the heart and “looks” around. . Other small machines might be permanently incorporated in the body to assist some inadequatelyfunctioning organ. 1965 Richard P. Feynman, 1959 Nobel Prize for Physics,
Nanotechnology offers. . . possibilities for health, wealth, and capabilities beyond most past imaginings. K. Eric Drexler
An Interdisciplinary Field of Research
How cheap? n n Potatoes, lumber, wheat and other agricultural products are examples of products made using a self replicating manufacturing base. Costs of roughly a dollar per pound are common. Molecular manufacturing will make almost any product for a dollar per pound or less, independent of complexity. (Design costs, licensing costs, etc. not included)
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology § The nanoscale is not just another step towards miniaturization. It is a qualitatively new scale where materials properties depend on size and shape, as well as composition, and differ significantly from the same properties in the bulk. Ø “Nanoscience” seeks to understand these new properties. Ø “Nanotechnology” seeks to develop materials and structures that exhibit novel and significantly improved physical, chemical, and tribiological properties and functions due to their nanoscale size. § The goals of nanoscience and nanotechnology are: Ø to understand predict the properties of materials at the nanoscale Ø to “manufacture” nanoscale components from the bottom up
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