Can robot or a device be made that, given the requisite resources, could construct and assemble a functional copy of itself?

To entertain this hypothesis further, let’s add a set of explicit constraints or expectations:

  1. The copy must structurally match the original device as is realistically possible
  2. The device must be able to manufacture at least one copy of itself
  3. The overall replication process should sustain itself for an indefinite amount of iterations
  4. The device must not repurpose its own parts as parts for its copy
  5. The device must not peform any task other than replicating itself and preserving itself to be able to replicate
  6. The device may sustain damages of repairable or non-repairable nature as long as it obeys constraints 1 and 2
  7. The device may take as much time and resources as it needs to construct its copy as long as both remain finite
  8. The device may make use of essential external resources like electricity and cooling to sustain itself as long as its able to accommodate its copy to do the same

Can reproduction be emulated mechanically while obeying all the constraints above or is there a fundamental limitation stopping us from realising this concept? If so, what is it?

  • yuki_gassen@lemmy.ml
    1·
    6 hours ago

    I think the main obstacle is finding the energy to do this. All of the energy that is accessible to us on Earth comes from the Sun, in one way or another (deep sea critters notwithstanding). If this robot can die, which it would have to for this to be indefinite, then it’s possible (eventually it would run out of iron, technically) if it could recycle old parts.

    Ofc, a fossil fueled process is not indefinite, it would have to use a combination of clean energy to get through all the unique challenges of each method.

    Honestly, this is kind of a first principles thermodynamics problem that applies to humanity in a similar way, one we are not answering with sustainability in mind… No way around the Laws of Thermo!