What Does Self-Replicating Machine Mean?
Self-replicating machines are a category of autonomous robot that can make copies or reproduce themselves autonomously with the help of raw materials from the existing environment. The self-replicating machine is based on the concept of self-replication as found in the nature. Further development of the self-replicating machine concept is considered a critical part of many future plans, like the mining of asteroid belts and moons for minerals and ores.
Techopedia Explains Self-Replicating Machine
The concept of self-replicating machines has been examined and popularized by Homer Jacobsen, Freeman Dyson and John von Neumann, who worked on the self-replicating machine “universal constructor” that operated in a cellular automata environment. In fact, John von Neumann was the first to study the idea, and replicators also have been called “von Neumann machines.” The concept relies on traditional automation as well as large-scale technology. Some envision them as robots or nanobots that can self-replicate and scavenge the required materials to copy themselves.
