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He said life, not humans. Taking a life-cycle analysis, biological entities are dramatically more efficient than existing robots. Designed a nanobot that gather
by scythe 4y ago
He said life, not humans. Taking a life-cycle analysis, biological entities are dramatically more efficient than existing robots. Designed a nanobot that gathers energy and resources from the natural environment to reproduce itself? Congratulations, you just invented the cell.
It's also worth noting that our robots are far from perfectly adapted to space. Usually, they get to the destination by jettisoning all manner of fuel tanks, landing gear, etc, and then they die in a few years. They're adapted to being put together in factories on Earth. Much like we don't have isolated livable environments on Earth, we don't have self-maintaining robot factories, either, and both problems seem pretty hard.
I think a compromise solution might be developed over the next fifty million years or so. No idea what it's going to look like.
- gumby 4y agoNo reason we couldn't build sentient robots that also have some of the benefits of being made out of meat -- we have the time. I don't see any reason why robots shouldn't evolve over the useful timescales we are discussing. Shedding gear can be a useful strategy; some animals even use it in extremis.
- dennis_jeeves1 4y ago>sentient robots that also have some of the benefits of being made out of meat -- we have the time. Meat is a highly evolved 'robot' structural material if you wish...