... like home

[TiagoTiago]

We are on our way to having universal fabricators on each home, and at some point, after the economy shifted the focus to raw materials and services, it might get so easy and cheap to make your own automatons that there will be almost no job for humans while at the sametime making things becomes extreelly cheap and easy for everyone.


I made this thread 'cause i would like to ask you how long do you think it will take before we reach the point when everyone will have at least one unifab, and how long (if ever) untill we reach the utopia-like stage, where even aquicring material to use with our personal synthetizers costs almost nothing?

[Anonymous]

The more automation there is, the more humans required to maintain it.

[TiagoTiago]

You don't think repairing will also become automated?

[Anonymous]

You don't think repairing will also become automated?

Sure but those automatons will still require maintenance.

[TiagoTiago]

I would expect it to be extremelly unlikelly they will all break at the same time

[Anonymous]

I would expect it to be extremelly unlikelly they will all break at the same time

The repair bots are just as likely to break as the machines they repair, of course you have to factor in the exact processes but my point still stands regardless. Add another set of repair bots to add repair bots, the more points of failure that exist. The more points of failure, the more probability a link in the chain will fail.

For a real world example, look at huge arrays of hard drives.

[TiagoTiago]

Just make universal repairbots that can repair everything a flesh and blood human can and more.

[TiagoTiago]

I mean, make a model of repairbot like that instead of specialized ones

[Anonymous]

Well, that's certainly easier said than done. Heh.

[TiagoTiago]

Or even better, recycle the broken automatons into more supply for the synthetizers and just synthetize new working ones.

[FatherMcGruder]

When I was getting married, I though about using a rep-rap to do the calligraphy on the invitation envelopes. Turned out that my mother-in-law could do it way faster than I could have possibly hoped to acquire one.

[Cryptoman]

The beauty of having universal fabricators at home is that anything you wish to possess can be represented as a code or data file.  This means it can be purchased and delivered over the internet, with no physical interaction.  This in turn means that it can be done anonymously, if the item is paid for with a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.  The bottom line is that 90% of the economy can move to the untaxable gray market.  States will be unable to control the economy or extort revenue from it.

For the past several years, I've been thinking about a near-term project along the same lines.  Imagine a desktop chemical synthesis unit that could perform a large number of different chemical reactions under software control.  You could supply this machine with simple, readily-available substances like household solvents and amino acids from milk, and it could synthesize a wide variety of recreational and prescription drugs.  For example, DMT and psilocybin (active ingredient of magic mushrooms) can be synthesized from tryptophan, found in milk.  This is not wild science fiction as the technology already exists to do this.  You can make polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic devices at home that can become components (reaction vessels, separation chambers, etc.) in such a synthesis unit.  To make it easy on people, some enterprising individual could manufacture and sell the subsystems which could be assembled into a finished unit (I'm imagining that a complete synthesis unit would be outlawed at some point).

[kiba]

For the past several years, I've been thinking about a near-term project along the same lines.  Imagine a desktop chemical synthesis unit that could perform a large number of different chemical reactions under software control.  You could supply this machine with simple, readily-available substances like household solvents and amino acids from milk, and it could synthesize a wide variety of recreational or prescription drugs.  For example, DMT and psilocybin (active ingredient of magic mushrooms) can be synthesized from tryptophan, found in milk.  This is not wild science fiction as the technology already exists to do this.  You can make polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic devices at home that can become components (reaction vessels, separation chambers, etc.) in such a synthesis unit.  To make it easy on people, some enterprising individual could manufacture and sell the subsystems which could be assembled into a finished unit (I'm imagining that a complete synthesis unit would be outlawed at some point).

1. Bitcoin commodity market.
2. Courier robots and protocols.
3. Desktop manufacturing systems.

[TiagoTiago]

Would a unit that can only do process up to half be outlawed too? What about one that can do it only from half way to end? If each individually are legal, would having one of each be illegal?

[rebuilder]

I've ordered a Thing-o-Matic extruder and intend to offer my 3d printing services for BTC once (if) I get it running and get comfortable with the printing process. Very hobbyist I'm sure, but maybe someone will be interested.

[Timo Y]

and how long (if ever) untill we reach the utopia-like stage

We will never reach the utopia like stage because as soon as something stops being scarce as a result of productivity boosts and automation, consumption of that thing skyrockets until it becomes scarce again.  There is always a bottleneck somewhere.

Correction: The utopia-like stage will be reached once human settlement starts expanding into all directions of the universe, and once indefinite suspended animation is possible.  The universe is so vast that for all practical purposes it offers an unlimited supply of energy and matter.  The only limiting factor will be the time it takes to travel to unsettled places.

[lumos]

failsafes built upon failsafes built upon failsafes thousands of times as big. if we have these it is because it largely makes things easier, a new step requires less people. i.e. traffic lights, maintained by 1 used by thousands.

[Jered Kenna (TradeHill)]

When they invented conveyor belts to speed up production it actually worked despite the occasional breakdown and repair by an individual.

What if instead of repair bots you make whipping bots to increase the human productivity.
If one breaks another one will whip the humans to fix it faster.

 Of course you could always substitute electric shock or whatever but whips got the pyramids done. 

[Anonymous]

When they invented conveyor belts to speed up production it actually worked despite the occasional breakdown and repair by an individual.

What if instead of repair bots you make whipping bots to increase the human productivity.
If one breaks another one will whip the humans to fix it faster.

 Of course you could always substitute electric shock or whatever but whips got the pyramids done. 

whipping bots sounds kinky. 

[Jered Kenna (TradeHill)]

When they invented conveyor belts to speed up production it actually worked despite the occasional breakdown and repair by an individual.

What if instead of repair bots you make whipping bots to increase the human productivity.
If one breaks another one will whip the humans to fix it faster.

 Of course you could always substitute electric shock or whatever but whips got the pyramids done. 

whipping bots sounds kinky. 

Dual purpose!