Self-replicating Machines

A self-replicating machine is an artificial construct that is theoretically capable of autonomously manufacturing a copy of itself using raw materials taken from its environment. The concept of self-replicating machines has been advanced and examined by Homer Jacobsen, and in more recent times by K. Eric Drexler in his book on nanotechnology.(1)

When looking at the whole concept of nanotechnology, the idea of a Self-replicating machine, or organism appealed to me. The ideas that a machine creating another machine- is actually giving birth and therefore evolving is quite an interesting idea.

Samuel Butler proposed in his 1872 novel Erewhon that machines were already capable of reproducing themselves but it was man who made them do so, and added machines, which reproduce machinery do not reproduce machines after their own kind.(2)

Even though the ideas proposed by Samuel Butler dates back to 1872, his concepts still remains as strong and innovative today. A modern day example of a self-replicating machine in a science fiction movie would be the Matrix films whereby Agent Smith, (Hugo Weaving) duplicates himself to take on Neo, (Keanu Reeves).


Sources used within this post

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine
(2) Erewhon By Samuel Butler