Robots that Build Robots

Votes: 0
Views: 3196

This entry describes a product that can be built with proper research coordination.

We are on the verge of being able to build this robot/machine that would revolutionize the civilization we live in.

We have seen it before: in the animal and plant world we see that with enough energy and raw material one species could fill the world with new individuals. An animal reproduces by being its own production factory.

Mankind has done it before:
- by making primitive tools that could be used to build better tools that could build machines we created a "positive loop" that led to the Industrial revolution.

- by making simple calculators that could help design better computers created a positive loop that eventually created the IT revolution.

However, our mechanical manufacturing capabilities have not been increased as with computers yet. It is still too expensive to manufacture things with man in the loop.

We have the energy and material resources at our doorstep in the solar system but not the capability to explore them.

There is the so called Kardashev scale on which our civilization is still only barely on Step 1, "to master the resources of a whole planet."
Step 2 is to master the resources of a sun.
Step 3 is to master the resoures of a galaxy.

In order to climb this ladder we have to do what the animal world already does; enabling an exponential growth by building entities that can build themselves. For us this means building robots that can build themselves (probably first through a factory). Then at the last step they would build factories that make the desired end product.

Examples:
- To harvest the enormous ampounts of solar energy we could build enormous solar panels in space with the available material in asteroids etc. This could be done with a massive amount of robots.
- But first we need to build a robot army that can exploit the raw materials needed for to build those robots.

These processes first clearly need the loop of "robots that build robots" to come off the ground.

This has to be realized in several locations;
- first on the surface of the earth; but we have limited resources here for such a massive undertaking + environmental hazards.
- on the surface on moons and asteroids
- in space factories

Summary:
In order to increase the power of our civilization we are on the verge on being able to build robots that can build themselves. Critical areas to still solve are vision and micro manipulation but big steps forward are made all the time.

We need a research coordination for this project in order to focus on the steps that are still missing to close the loop.

If we do this, the IT revolution will be parallelled by a mechanical revolution (the second industrial revolution). We could also eliminate all environmantal hazards.

Somebody said:
"The Universe is infinitely rich. If we are poor it is because we are stupid."

Voting

Voting is closed!

  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    Soren Eriksson
  • Type of entry:
    individual
  • Patent status:
    none