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Nanomachines: Difference between revisions
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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
== Anime & Manga ==
* 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|terraforming]] a planet. Also known as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_fog utility fog].<br /><br />''[[Kiddy Grade]]'' kicks [[Willing Suspension of Disbelief]] in the teeth throughout the series, and explains ''everything'' by [[Hand Wave|handwaving]] some nonsense about nanomachines. While changing clothes in seconds or maybe even the "make a whip out of lipstick" trick are somewhat old hat, one pair of characters ''[[You Fail Physics Forever|has the nanomachine-induced physics-warping superpower]] [[Gravity Sucks|of manipulating black holes with their bare hands]]''.<br /><br />It was however suggested in-story (and confirmed in the sequel) that this is malarkey even inside the story; the ES members' abilities are not nanomachine-powered, but in fact seem to be actual (possibly Clarkian) magic.
* In ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' exposure to terraforming nanomachines had an interesting effect on humans born on Mars. "Image Feedback System" Nanomachines were also used to interface with various machinery. On Mars, IFS nanomachines were required for pretty much any heavy equipment, but on Earth they served only as the [[Unusual User Interface]] for [[Humongous Mecha]] and other military vehicles. This led to Martian civilian Akito getting a lot of flak from [[The So
* ''[[Getter Robo]]'' [[Hand Wave|hand waves]] its [[Transforming Mecha]] in the Armageddon OVA by attributing the transformations to nanomachines.
* ''[[Turn a Gundam (Anime)|Turn a Gundam]]'' and Turn X's powerful Moonlight Butterfly attacks work by releasing technology-destroying nanomachines. Which may or may not be related to the equally dangerous and much more versatile nanotech "D.G. Cells" from ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam (Anime)|G Gundam]]''.
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* ''[[Sky Girls]]'' has nanomachines as the focus of the entire story. [[Monster of the Week]]? Nanomachines originally built to cure medical problems gone rogue. Pilots wearing [[Latex Space Suit]]? They are protected by nanomachine armor that only lasts ten minutes <ref>or twenty nine minutes, depending on which version you're watching</ref>. The weapons that the Sonic Divers carry? They are all nanomachine bullets.
* ''[[Strike Witches]]'', a show quite similar to ''[[Sky Girls]]'', features the alien [[Grey Goo]] version of this as ''all'' of the [[Monster of the Week|Monsters of the Week]].
* [[Theme Naming|Foo Fighters]] from ''[[Jo
* In ''[[Ghost in The Shell Stand Alone Complex]]'', nanomachines are widely used. In the first season, one of the potential treatments for cyberbrain sclerosis is based on nanomachines (although it isn't very effective). One episode also mentions that nanomachines are used to counteract air pollution. ''2nd GIG'' introduces the "Japanese Miracle"; a nanomachine-based technology for neutralising radioactive fallout from nuclear explosions.
** Though, being written before "nano" became a popular buzzword they're called ''micro'' -machines.
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== Comics ==
* ''[[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|Arm Cannons]] to [[
* During Grant Morrison's ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' run, Cassandra Nova attacked the team on a cellular level with nanosentinels.
* In the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Comic Book)|comic series]], some of Eggman's creations resulted in a hivemind mass of nanites that collected into a "city" in the forest. When an AI system of Eggman's was eliminated, NICOLE, the AI from Sally's computer, took over the dormant nanites herself and reconfigured them into a modified replica of Mobotropolis, giving her friends a new home. Nicole has been shown to occasionally modify the city structure through the nanites, though if her attention is divided she may have trouble maintaining everything at once.
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* The plot of the ''Moonrise'' and ''Moonwar'' by Ben Bova revolve around nanomachines. A subversion occurs when one character proposes making nanomachines that act like dust, to blind the invading army, and another character suggests just using dust instead.
* Nearly-omnipresent nanotechnology is an important part of the setting and plot in [[Neal Stephenson]]'s novel ''[[The Diamond Age]]'' (So named because with nanotech, diamond becomes literally ''as cheap as dirt'', making it a useful building material.)
* The ''eyves'' in Sergey Pavlov's novel ''Moon Rainbow'' aren't as much nano''machines'' as they are [[Imported Alien Phlebotinum|alien microorganisms]], but they ''do'' grant people superpowers. Much of the book is devoted to exploring [[What Measure Is a Non
* Nanomachines figure prominently in Nancy Kress's novel ''Beggars and Choosers'' (1994), the middle book of a trilogy beginning with ''[[Beggars in Spain (Literature)|Beggars in Spain]]'' (1993) and concluding with ''Beggars Ride'' (1996).
* In ''Specials'', the third book of Scott Westerfeld's ''[[Uglies]]'' series, it is revealed that the Specials have nanobots in their blood that allow them to heal faster than normal humans. Nanos can also be really bad, though, as in the scene where Tally and Shay end up destroying a museum by accidentally unleashing some. (This scene is referenced for comedic value in ''Extras'', when Shay's solution to a problem is an excited cry of "Nanos!")Nanos are also what allow the Holes in the Walls to work like they do. In fact, nanos are everywhere in that world.
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* [[Larry Niven]], aware that [[Tech Marches On]], [[Retcon|retconned]] his [[Known Space]] [[Verse]] by saying that Carlos Wu had invented a nanotech-based autodoc with ''astonishing'' capabilities: in "Procrustes", the story where it was introduced, Beowulf Shaeffer was able to {{spoiler|have his entire body regenerated from just his severed head}}, and when it reappeared in ''The [[Ring World]] Throne'' and ''Ringworld's Children'', Louis Wu used it to {{spoiler|reverse being transformed into a [[Tragic Monster|Protector]]}} -- which borders on [[Deus Ex Machina]].
* Used in various ways in the ''[[Honorverse (Literature)|Honorverse]]'', both for good and evil, but rarely explored in detail except [[McGuffin|one specific case]].
* ''Quickies'' (or "shustrs" in original Polish text) are the mainstay of Lusanian society in [[Stanislaw Lem]]'s ''Observation on the Spot''. They do ''everything'', from providing energy and material wealth to enforcing laws of ethics as laws of physics. In Lusania [[Ape Shall Never Kill Ape|"man" doesn't kill a "man"]] -- the environment ''won't let him''. They could even provide immortality, but those who tried it generally found that [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|it doesn't worth the effort]].
* In his ''Peace on Earth'' nanomachines are also the ultimate stage of [[Mechanical Evolution]] of human weaponry.
* Walter Jon Williams novel ''Aristoi'' covers these, in various aspects, in great detail. Nanomachines are pretty much the basis for the entire economy, and a great deal of effort is expended in making sure the few people authorized to design new ones know what they're doing. The novel goes into more than usual detail on what it would take to actually get one running, including troubles such as getting rid of the heat such things would generate, especially in a vacuum. Gray goo does come up a couple times, at least once as a malicious attack.
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* Season eight of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' introduced the Nanites, who could do anything from hairstyling to blowing up planets. Lampooned because they were usually too busy dealing with the social problems of their microscopic society to actually do anything useful.
* In a later season of ''[[Red Dwarf (TV)|Red Dwarf]]'', the missing Red Dwarf was revealed to have been stolen and miniaturized (with the extra matter stored as a small planetoid) by nanobots that had once been Kryten's self-repair system. The nanobots are tracked down, and made to give back what they took as well as replace Lister's amputated arm. As a bonus, the nanobots had not only restored Holly when they originally took the ship, but when they rebuilt it they built it true to its original plans and resurrected the crew, minus Kochanski.
* ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' had featured a plot designed around nanobots created to [[Harmful Healing|heal]] human infirmities; the nanobots [[Instant AI, Just Add Water|spontaneously develop an artificial intelligence]] and begin "repairing" what they perceived as "design flaws" of those human bodies- creating some rather ''weird'' things like an [[Nausea Fuel|armored ribcage]] and even [[Body Horror|eyes in the back of the head]]! According to opening titles, the main plot (The New Breed) was also based on ''Blood Music'', mentioned below under Literature.
* ''[[Stargate]]'':
** Nanites appear in several episodes of ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'', although the earlier ones appear to be an evolution of a less-sophisticated group of Replicators which seem to have been independently created. <ref>One of the more widely-accepted theories within Stargate fandom is that after the Ancients left the Pegasus Galaxy to return to the Milky Way (leaving the Asuran Replicators behind), one of them decided to go off on his own and restart the project, but with more control exerted over it to ensure that they didn't get out of control like the Asurans did. Unfortunately, things [[It Got Worse|didn't quite go to plan]].</ref>
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* ''[[Super Robot Wars Alpha]] Gaiden'' has nanomachines known as Machine Cells {{spoiler|as part of the Black History backstory and are being used by the [[Big Bad]]: the Magus and her minions.}} Also used in [[Super Robot Wars Original Generation]] 2.
* The Vasari from ''[[Sins of a Solar Empire]]'' make extensive use of nanomachines, with most of their special abilities being built around either spacetime-warping technology or nanomachines.
* [[Anarchy Online]] takes this trope to heart and runs with it, using nanobots for frickin' ''everything.'' "Magic" is essentially just free-floating nanobots in the air being told to do something, your [[Mana]] is [[Call a Rabbit A Smeerp|called Nano Points]], and these 'bots make everything from guns, to [[Humongous Mecha]], to that [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|super-potent beer]] that all ''nano-augmented'' species that live on Rubi-Ka can't get drunk from ([[Monkey Island 2|"It's just as nasty-tasting and foul smelling as the real thing, but without the alcohol."]]). Hell, these things can even change the way things taste. You name it, nanobots are probably behind it on Rubi-Ka. Except for resurrection; you need the local [[Green Rocks]] for that.
* A little-known RTS game from the DOS era called ''War, Inc.'' puts you in charge of a [[Private Military Contractor]]. The vehicles are manufactured by nanobots from raw materials that you must harvest in-mission (and your infantry is made by incredibly high-speed cloning).
* One of the main resources in the RTS [[Achron]] is called Liquid Crystals (LC for short) and is made of a mix of common atoms and nanobots in a liquid-crystal framework. When you order a unit to construct a building the unit drops a tiny transponder seed which signals local teleportation infrastructure to teleport the right quantity of LC to that location. The nanobots in the LC then assemble the building using the atoms contained within it. When you build a unit the LC is teleported into the factory where it assembles into the units gear in a similar way (and the pilot is supplied separately).
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* Despite the reference, the ''[[Kim Possible]]'' episode "Tick Tick Tick" isn't really a good example. The tick was visible to the naked eye, there was just one, and it didn't do anything but explode. But nano still sounds about a hundred times better. Just because it's big, doesn't necessarily imply it isn't made out of very small components, of course.
** A better example of nanotechnology in the series could be the Hephaestus Project, a sort of living metal capable of repairing, modifying, and increasing in size when given the proper commands. Drakken used this technology in [[The Movie]] to create an army of robots disguised as toys.
* ''[[Max Steel]]'' was just an [[Ordinary High School Student]] until an accidental injection of [[Nanomachines]] gave him super strength and endurance. Gets pretty heavy with it, too, as the show loved to sneak in more complexity than most Saturday morning cartoons get away with; the nanomachines here run on a [[Applied Phlebotinum|unique form of power]] known as "Trans-Phasik Energy" or "T-Juice" -- the flipside being that said energy is [[Plot Driven Breakdown|burned rather quickly in combat]].<br /><br />The nanites have symbiotic relationship with the protagonist: if they go offline, he dies. Surprisingly not played for a plot point as often as one might think so much as an occasional inconvenience... until the show's ''entire third season'', where {{spoiler|the government forces the agency to disband after terrorists steal the generator and nearly wipe out the UN with it. It is implied that the main character is living on borrowed time without the full-size power generator, and that he will die in the near future with only the portable model to fall back on. Whenever he powers up, he's burning off said time. [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|Nice Job Killing Yourself, Hero?]]}}
* In the ''[[Gargoyles]]'' episode "Walkabout", [[Heel Face Turn|villain turned good guy]] Dingo acquires a living suit made of nanomachines, after helping the Gargoyles convince said nanomachines not to eat Australia.
* [[Big Bad]] Slade on ''[[Teen Titans (Animation)|Teen Titans]]'' blackmails Robin into becoming his apprentice by infecting the rest of the Titans with nanomachines that will kill them if he should decide to activate them.
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** Brainiac/Luthor is also an example. Years prior to those events (back in [[Superman the Animated Series]]), Brainiac forced Luthor to build him a new body, and his first act in that body was to inject Luthor with a "nanoscopic payload" that carried a dormant copy Brainiac's entire consciousness.
** The [[DCAU]] version of Amazo the android was made of nanotech, which allowed him to evolve by duplicating whatever power he saw. Luthor and The Atom attempted to use this knowledge in an attempt to stop him, but he revealed that he had evolved beyond nanotechnology.
* In a [[Crossover]] between ''[[Batman:
* In the ''[[Code Lyoko]]'' episode "Amnesia", XANA creates nanomachines that act like virus and [[Laser
* One episode of ''[[Captain Planet]]'' had a variation on the usual plot by having a mysterious figure appear in a small town in Latin America and give people everything they wanted, which it did by firing mysterious beams at nearby natural resources. Said beams turned out to be nanomachines. Unlike most examples, they were always under control of the villain, who turned out to be a spirit of environmental destruction whom the team had met before.
* The second ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 (Animation)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' series featured a recurring antagonist in Nano, a nanomachine colony that had somehow "personified" (acquired sentience) and which possessed the emotional maturity of an infant. Eventually, however, it outgrows its immature tendencies and joins super-hero team The Justice Force.
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* Central to the premise of ''[[Generator Rex (Animation)|Generator Rex]]''. An industrial accident spread nanomachines all over the world and they have a tendency to warp living things into monsters, which the titular character must deal with.
* In the ''[[Ben 10 (Animation)|Ben 10]]'' [[Live Action Adaptation]] [[The Movie|movie]] ''Alien Swarm'', the main villains of the film were a [[Hive Mind]] swarm of alien nanitie-like chips that were capable of infecting and controlling any living creature. They even had a [[Hive Queen|queen]]. They weren't actually nanomachines, though, more like living microchips. Nano just sounds cooler.
* ''[[Iron Man Armored Adventures]]'' featured Technovore, a data and technology eating virus which infected a cluster of nanites, creating one of the most dangerous villains Iron Man has ever faced. [[The Points Mean Nothing|Bonus Points]] for the fact that [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|it was Tony who created the virus]]. In its initial appearance, it appeared that Tony destroyed it; however, [[From a Single Cell|a few of the nanites seemed to have survived]].
* One episode of ''[[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]]'' had [[The Joker]] [[Brain Uploading|uploading his thought processes]] into a colony of nano machines at WayneTech, creating a shape-shifting, size-changing nano-clone of Mister J. Not good.
** Probably a stolen plot idea, since {{spoiler|[[Batman Beyond Return of the Joker]] did it 3 years earlier.}}
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