Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
213,127
edits
Nanomachines: Difference between revisions
m
removed Category:Nanomachines; added [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] using HotCat
(Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead. #IABot (v2.0beta9)) |
m (removed Category:Nanomachines; added [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] using HotCat) |
||
| (6 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
[[File:cit Smoky The Nanobot.png|link=Grey Goo|
{{quote|''"Industrial Grade Nano-Paste, Planet's most valuable commodity, can also be one of its most dangerous. Simply pour out several canisters, slide in a programming transponder, and step well away while the stuff cooks. In under an hour the nano will use available materials to assemble a small factory, a hovertank, or enough impact rifles to equip a regiment."''
|'''Col. Corazon Santiago - "Planet: A Survivalist's Guide"''', ''[[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]]''}}
In Latin, ''nanus'' means "dwarf". In science, the prefix ''nano-'' means "one billionth" of something. Nanotechnology is technology on a scale of 1-100 nanometers (1 nanometer being one billionth of a meter.)
For a long scale of sizes see e.g. [http://www.falstad.com/scale/ here]. But of what's relevant to nanoscale construction - a hydrogen atom is about <ref>on this scale things don't ''look'' blurry, they ''actually are'' quite blurry</ref> 0.1 nanometers across, ribosomes <ref>the part of a cell that builds proteins to received arbitrary data</ref> are around 20 (prokaryotic) to almost 30 (eukaryotic) nm long; [https://web.archive.org/web/20160809135552/http://classes.midlandstech.edu/carterp/courses/bio225/chap04/lecture2.htm bacteria] are in range of 200-2000 nm; visible light has a wavelength of 400-800 nm, a human cell nucleus is about 1700 <ref>it holds [https://web.archive.org/web/20160216134617/http://bitesizebio.com/8378/how-much-information-is-stored-in-the-human-genome/ about 1.5 Gb]] worth of raw data - but note that it's ''the whole'' storage unit (though there's also another vital, but self-contained unit - in mitochondria), and in a form optimized for several uses and, shall we say, viable level of resilience, not for sheer density</ref>, and a human hair is about 100,000 nm wide. Which gives a good idea of limitations and complexity involved - and raises a question of at which point you have a nanorobot if you start with "cyborgizing" some bacteria.
Nanotechnology has become an all-purpose [[A Wizard Did It|magic]] substitute for soft science fiction and sci-fi-flavored fantasy. Nano is the latest [[Sci Fi Name Buzzwords]]; it is the new pseudo-Greek for [[Phlebotinum Du Jour|phlebotinum]]. Nanotech supplies a myriad of exciting powers with a satisfying patina of plausibility.
Line 18 ⟶ 19:
Note that real-life physics puts constraints on what nanomachines could accomplish; for instance, without some source of energy, they will just sit there being molecules, or at best work veeeery slowly using ambient energy. But most writers [[Did Not Do the Research|rarely study the subject in any detail]]; it's easier to just use them as [[Green Rocks]] that can do anything the plot requires.
One reasonably common science-fiction scenario involves nanomachines being programmed to build copies of themselves using materials in their environment. If not stopped, such nanobots could theoretically grow exponentially, turning all available material on Earth into more nanobots and ending life as we know it—this is known as the "[[Grey Goo]]" scenario. Some scientists (and noted homeopathy fan, HRH The Prince of Wales) have expressed concern that this scenario could actually happen in real life, although most consider it extremely [https://web.archive.org/web/20131025044513/http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/indepth/19648 unlikely].
Because it is so powerful, in settings where science is ''inherently'' bad expect nanotech to be right up there on the [[Scale of Scientific Sins]].
Line 25 ⟶ 26:
Nanites themselves will usually either be [[Sliding Scale of Robot Intelligence|dumb as bricks]], or [[Hive Mind|networked into a fully sentient mass]]. Some works may invoke [[Mechanical Evolution]] to make the nanomachines smarter/better/deadlier.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime
* The Otome from ''[[Mai-Otome]]'' receive their powers via nanomachine injections; they self-destruct when the female body's [[Virgin Power|exposed to semen.]]
* The series ''[[Kiddy Grade]]'' bases a lot of technology on "Nano-mist"—a fog made up of trillions of nano-scale machines, which can achieve amazing effects—from keeping a 64 thousand kilometer long starship from collapsing under its own mass, to creating a barrier, to repairing damage, to [[terraform]]ing a planet. Also known as [[wikipedia:Utility fog|utility fog]].
Line 58 ⟶ 59:
==
* ''[[The Authority]]'' - Authority member The Engineer replaced all of her blood with nanomachines. She can [[Green Lantern Ring|create nearly anything with these]], from [[Arm Cannon]]s to [[Me's a Crowd|duplicates of herself]]. This being ''[[The Authority]]'', many of the implications of these powers are investigated.
* During Grant Morrison's ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' run, Cassandra Nova attacked the team on a cellular level with nanosentinels.
Line 79 ⟶ 80:
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* The last gasp of the remaining members of the American bloc of the Collective in ''[[The Secret Return of Alex Mack]]'' is an attempt at a nanobot-based plague which goes [[Grey Goo|"worst case"]].
* In the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' fic ''[[The Arithmancer]]'', Hermione Granger creates a magical nanite weapon that she calls [[Narnia|"The Deplorable Word"]], and which she uses to defeat Bellatrix Lestrange at the climax of the story.
* Used in the [[Phlebotinum Du Jour]] and [[Magic From Technology]] senses of the trope in the [[Mega Crossover]] ''[[My Apartment Manager is not an Isekai Character]]'', and usually supplied by [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien|Washuu-chan]]. Nanotech has been used to give multiple characters [[Heal Thyself|ridiculously fast medical treatment with a side-order of life extension]].
== Films ==
Line 92 ⟶ 94:
* In the remake of ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 film)|The Day the Earth Stood Still]]'' nano-insects ([[Grey Goo|grey-goo]] style) {{spoiler|[[Kill All Humans]]}}.
* ''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]'' was the first time the Borg were shown using nanotech as an assimilation tool (see below under Live Action TV).
* The [[MacGuffin]] in ''[[Ballistic
* ''[[Transformers Film Series]]'' - According to [[All There in the Manual|The Official Movie Guide]], Protoforms are made up of densely packed nanomachines. This is the semi-official [[Hand Wave]] for any transformation "cheats" in the films and where, for example, the rubber for Optimus' tires comes from.
* ''[[G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra]]'' features the nanites, originally created for medical intents and later weaponized (sometimes ''with medical intents'', for creating [[Super Soldier]] [[Elite Mooks]] who had a minor [[Healing Factor]] and [[Brainwashed and Crazy|parts of their brains destroyed to become fearless]]). And seems like [http://gijoe.wikia.com/wiki/Nanomites they already existed] in a [[G.I. Joe]] comic.
Line 179 ⟶ 181:
* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' and its sequels use nanomachines for ''everything'', from transmissions to healing bleeding wounds to {{spoiler|aiding in a fake possession}}.
** [[Parrot Exposition|Nanomachines?]]
** In ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty|Metal Gear Solid 2]]'', Raiden actually has all of his ''blood'' replaced with ''synthetic blood teaming with nanites''. Never mind the actual viability of that particular gruesome mashup, this is what allows him to interact wirelessly with nerds. Uh, nodes. This is actually perfectly viable, or at least it should be in the next few decades. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100420041524/http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=
* Vanilla H's healing ability in the ''[[Galaxy Angel (video game)|Galaxy Angel]]'' games comes from nanomachines. This works on both ships (her Angel Wing, Harvester, is a living nanomachine colony) and people (with her pet, a catlike living [[Lost Technology]]). Vanilla is one of the very few people that can pull this off, and became an [[Emotionless Girl]] as a side effect of honing her skills. Nano-Nano Pudding, from the later games, is another living [[Lost Technology]], this time a [[Catgirl]]. Like Vanilla's pet, she too is constructed from nanomachines.
* In the ''[[Galaxy Angel (anime)|Galaxy Angel]]'' anime, none of this is mentioned at all, and Vanilla's powers may or may not come from a magical bead.
Line 270 ⟶ 272:
** Nanomaterials: Super strong, very tough, and incredibly light, carbon nanomaterials. They are the [[Flying Brick]] of materials, in a sense. Variants include nanotubes, nanobuds, graphene sheets, etc.
** Nanomedicine: While we have no idea how to make ourselves immortal, superpowered badasses yet, doctors hope nanotechnology has the promise of eventually being able to cure the common cold. And HIV. And Cancer. The tricky part is actually getting the nanites to know what they should attack. This is being worked on mighty well. Nanites engineered to precisely exploit abnormally swollen pores in cancer tissue are in development. Ultra-tiny nanotube-based radio devices are also in development, which would allow for ''remote-controlled'' nanites, but those are somewhat farther away.
** Non-Newtonian liquid suspensions: Basically, funny-shaped particles made by nanoengineering, floating in thick oil. Flexible when subjected to the force of human muscles, but turn ultra-rigid when compressed by something faster. Like a bullet. Body armor that can stop a rifle round that also allows one to do crunches like it wasn't there. It's basically a man-made enhancement of the forces that allow [https://web.archive.org/web/20170814230258/http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=720f7702c5ab116120e0&page=1&viewtype=&category= John Tickle to walk on custard].
* If you think about it, nanomachines are actually much [[Older Than They Think]], since proteins are essentially naturally occurring nanomachines. They are quite small, and they can accomplish functions like [[wikipedia:Enzyme|facilitating chemical reactions]], [[wikipedia:Na-K-ATPase pump|pumping substances across barriers]], and when working together can even [[wikipedia:Actomyosin|cause macro-scale movement]] of objects.<ref>Without nanomachines, you wouldn't have been able to view this footnote. Reward them with a cup of a xanthine alkaloid. Preferably coffee.</ref>
** Monoclonal antibodies ''already'' meet most of the criteria for medical nanomachines. Cultivate some that adhere to tumors, stick a radioactive isotope on each one, and turn 'em loose in the body to hunt down their prey like itty bitty Terminators.
Line 281 ⟶ 283:
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]▼
[[Category:Futuristic Tech Index]]
[[Category:Make My Index Live]]
[[Category:Robot Roll Call]]
▲[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]
▲[[Category:Tiny Tropes]]
[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Transhuman Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Nanomachines]]
| |||