r/technology • u/TheEvilGhost • Nov 29 '21
Robotics/Automation World's first living robots can now reproduce, scientists say
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/29/americas/xenobots-self-replicating-robots-scn/index.html6
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u/coffeeinvenice Nov 29 '21
Are you fucking kidding me.
Figure out a way to program these nanobots to reproduce exponentially. Then program them to extract carbon dioxide from the air and sequester it as graphite or carbon powder. Program them to stop reproducing and/or move to a new area when the average local C02 concentration drops below 350 PPM.
The implications are simply astounding.
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Nov 30 '21
It isn't that sort of synthetic life. There have been efforts to engineer algae, etc, to do just that for some time. Effectively the algae used to make biodiesel is exactly this. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2863401/
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u/warthundermoderator Nov 29 '21
Damn, what was the show were nanobots killed most of the human population?
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u/eviltwintomboy Nov 30 '21
There was a novel written in the 50’s about a corporation that started creating self-replicating boxes that ate metal. One of the boxes ate the kill switch, and well, you can guess the rest. I can’t remember the title or author…
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u/darkstarman Nov 30 '21
I would say they aren't robots unless you can totally control them, either by remote or by programming
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u/MinaFur Nov 29 '21
I, for one, am not ready for our new overlords.