Insects

[Susiejb]

"Scientists have created the world's smallest electric motor - made from a single molecule.The microscopic motor is one nanometre across, about 60,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair".

That is just a mind boggling size
How do they do that

 

[Shutpa]

"Scientists have created the world's smallest electric motor - made from a single molecule.The microscopic motor is one nanometre across, about 60,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair".

That is just a mind boggling size
How do they do that

Just like that Susie http://www.decodedscience.com/amazing-molecule-worlds-smallest-electric-motor/2893

 

[Susiejb]

Fascinating......totally admire people with such brilliant minds

 

[Shutpa]

Fascinating......totally admire people with such brilliant minds

Thank you Susie, you're so kind!

Oh.....you mean the scientists............how silly of me........

 

[Susiejb]

 

[Space cat]

What I think we are unable to achieve though is the creative beauty of nature.....

Well - beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder and I'm an engineer. Having said that, you're still right and you don't have to look far for an example; skin is remarkable stuff. (This point was made rather well in Star Trek First Contact.)

What we also cannot do is breathe life into something...... I think that nature will always win on that one

Now that's a really tricky one because you have to start with a good definition of what life actually is. A self-replicating machine would not be beyond the bounds of our current technical ability but would it be 'alive'? I think I'd have to say "no" to that. To qualify as an artificial life-form it would have to be able to adapt to a changing environment.

So now we build a robot that can do just that. In fact it can do something nature can't. Nature can only modify the next generation. The robot can also modify itself and then retrofit the changes into previous generations.

But is it alive? Does it know that it's a robot? I suppose it does but --

Can it compose a symphony - or even a three minute pop song?
Can it write a poem? Only so far as getting the rhyme and metre correct!
Can it make love? I seriously doubt it. Data thought he was programmed for this but the Borg queen soon proved him wrong.

Yep! Nature wins that one hands down.

 

[RigidRaider]

How long before we see nano helicopters the size of bumble bees being used for observation or military purposes? They could carry a camera or a small explosive charge or a small virus, bacterium or other chemical agent in a needle. Cheap, mass produced by robots and can penetrate buildings. They would only need to fly for a few minutes to cause mayhem.

 

[Space cat]

How long before we see nano helicopters the size of bumble bees being used for observation or military purposes?

Well we won't see them; that's the whole point. But you're right. Such machines are probably on the drawing boards in military research labs right now. Think on that next time you see one of those toy helicopters with its tiny little motors. It's a spin-off from a military research project. Helicopter = spin-off. Get it!