Two Electromechanical Models of Self-Assembly
Jason D. Lohn*, Gary L. Haith, and Silvano P. Colombano
NASA Ames Research Center
This is an abstract
for a presentation given at the
Sixth
Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology.
There will be a link from here to the full article when it is
available on the web.
Mechanical models of self-replicating systems were proposed by Penrose,
Jacobson, and others in the 1950s. Some of these models were successfully
implemented. Here we present the design for a simple mechanical
self-replicating system that can be constructed out of wood, batteries and
electromagnets. Our system was designed with analogies to nanoscale
fabrication: electromagnetism modeling hydrogen bonding, complementary
physical shapes modeling polymer structure, and electrical current flow
modeling polymer activation. Precisely defining the requirements of an
artificial self-replicating system is difficult (and elusive in the
literature) for many reasons. We present a set of properties that an
artificial self-replicating system should possess and discuss the issues
that arise in formulating a definition of artificial self-replication.
*Corresponding Address:
Jason D. Lohn
NASA Ames Research Center
MS 269-1, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000
Phone: (650) 604-5138; Fax: (650) 604-3594
Email: [email protected]; Web: http://ic.arc.nasa.gov/people/jlohn/
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