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PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
could make objects float at will. By thinking certain thoughts, we could
activate the computer, which would then switch on the various electromagnets, causing them to levitate. To an outside observer, it would appear to be magic-the ability to move and levitate objects at will.
NANOBOTS
What about the power not just to move objects, but to transform them,
to turn one object into another, as if by magic? Magicians accomplish
this by clever sleight of hand. But is such power consistent with the
laws of physics?
One of the goals of nanotechnology, as we mentioned earlier, is to
be able to use atoms to build tiny machines that can function as levers,
gears, ball bearings, and pulleys. With these nanomachines, the dream
of many physicists is to be able to rearrange the molecules within an
object, atom for atom, until one object turns into another. This is the
basis of the "replicator" found in science fiction that allows one to fabricate any object one wants, simply by asking for it. In principle, a
replicator might be able to eliminate poverty and change the nature of
society itself. If one can fabricate any object simply by asking for it,
then the whole concept of scarcity, value, and hierarchy within human
society is turned upside down.
(One of my favorite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation involves a replicator. An ancient space capsule from the twentieth century is found drifting in outer space, and it contains the frozen bodies
of people who suffered from fatal illnesses. These bodies are quickly
thawed out and cured with advanced medicine. One businessman realizes that his investments must be huge after so many centuries. He
immediately asks the crew of the Enterprise about his investments and
his money. The crew members are puzzled. Money? Investments? In
the future, there is no money, they point out. If you want something,
you just ask.)
As astounding as a replicator might be, nature has already created
one. The "proof of principle" already exists. Nature can take raw ma-
PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
could make objects float at will. By thinking certain thoughts, we could
activate the computer, which would then switch on the various electromagnets, causing them to levitate. To an outside observer, it would appear to be magic-the ability to move and levitate objects at will.
NANOBOTS
What about the power not just to move objects, but to transform them,
to turn one object into another, as if by magic? Magicians accomplish
this by clever sleight of hand. But is such power consistent with the
laws of physics?
One of the goals of nanotechnology, as we mentioned earlier, is to
be able to use atoms to build tiny machines that can function as levers,
gears, ball bearings, and pulleys. With these nanomachines, the dream
of many physicists is to be able to rearrange the molecules within an
object, atom for atom, until one object turns into another. This is the
basis of the "replicator" found in science fiction that allows one to fabricate any object one wants, simply by asking for it. In principle, a
replicator might be able to eliminate poverty and change the nature of
society itself. If one can fabricate any object simply by asking for it,
then the whole concept of scarcity, value, and hierarchy within human
society is turned upside down.
(One of my favorite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation involves a replicator. An ancient space capsule from the twentieth century is found drifting in outer space, and it contains the frozen bodies
of people who suffered from fatal illnesses. These bodies are quickly
thawed out and cured with advanced medicine. One businessman realizes that his investments must be huge after so many centuries. He
immediately asks the crew of the Enterprise about his investments and
his money. The crew members are puzzled. Money? Investments? In
the future, there is no money, they point out. If you want something,
you just ask.)
As astounding as a replicator might be, nature has already created
one. The "proof of principle" already exists. Nature can take raw ma-