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Utility Fog: a Universal Physical Substance

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Utility Fog: a Universal Physical Substance https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19940022864 2018-09-18T22:10:35+00:00Z N94- 27367 UTILITY FOG: A UNIVERSAL PHYSICAL SUBSTANCE J. Storm Hall Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey Abstract tern of robots, which vary their properties according to which part of the object they are representing at Active, polymorphic material ("Utility Fog") can the time. An object can then move across a cloud of be designed as a conglomeration of 100-micron robotic robots without the individual robots moving, just as cells (_foglets'). Such robots could be built with the pixels on a CRT remain stationary while pictures the techniques of molecular nanotechnology[18]. Con- move around on the screen. trollers with processing capabilities of 1000 MIPS per The Utility Fog which is simulating air needs to be cubic micron, and electric motors with power densities impalpable. One would like to be able to walk through of one milliwatt per cubic micron are assumed. Util- a Fog-filled room without the feeling of having been ity Fog should be capable of simulating most everyday cast into a block of solid Lucite. It is also desire- materials, dynamically changing its form and proper- able to be able to breathe while using the Fog in this ties, and forms a substrate for an integrated virtual way! To this end, the robots representing empty space reality said telerobotics. constantly run a fluid-flow simulation of what the air would be doing if the robots weren't there. Then each robot does what the air it displaces would do in its 1 Introduction absence. How can one breathe when the air is a solid mass of Imagine a microscopic robot. It has a body about machines? Actually, it isn't really solid: the Foglets the size of a human cell and 12 arms sticking out in all only occupy about I0_ of the actual volume of the directions. A bucketful of such robots might form a air (they need lots of "elbow room" to move around "robot crystal" by linking their arms up into a lattice easily). There's plenty of air left to breathe. As far as structure. Now take a room, with people, furniture, physically breathing it, we set up a pressure-sensitive and other objects in it- it's still mostly empty air. Fill boundary which translates air motions on one side to tile air completely full of robots. Fog motions on the other. It might even be possible With the right programming, the robots can ex- to have the Fog continue the air simulation all the way ert any force in any direction on the surface of any into the lungs. object. They can support the object, so that it ap- To understand why we want to fill the air with mi- parently floats in tile air. They can support a person, croscopic robots only to go to so much trouble to make applying tile same pressures to the seat of the pants it seem as if they weren't there, consider the advan- that a chair would. They can exert the same resisting tages of a TV or computer screen over an ordinary forces that elbows and fingertips would receive from picture. Objects on the screen can appear and dis- the arms and back of the chair. A program running appear at will; they are not constrained by the laws in the Utility Fog can thus simulate the physical exis- of physics. The whole scene can shift instantly from tence of an object. one apparent locale to another. Completely imaginary The Utility Fog operates in two modes: First, the constructions, not possible to build in physical reality, "naive" mode where the robots act much like cells, and could be commonplace. Virtually anything imagin- each robot occupies a particular position and does a able could be given tangible reality in a Utility Fog particular function in a given object. The second, or environment. "Fog" mode, has the robots acting more like the pixels Why not, instead, build a virtual reality machine on a TV screen. The object is then formed of a pat- that produces a purely sensory (but indistinguishable) 115 versionof the same apparent world? The Fog actsas a - Anything requiringhard metal (coldsteel?).For continuousbridge between actualphysicalrealityand example, Fog couldn't simulate a drillbit cuttiag virtualreality.The Fog is universaleffectoras well through hardwood. It would be able to cut the hole, as a universalsensor. Any (real)object in the Fog but the process would be better describedas intelli- environment can be manipulated with an extremely gent sandpaper. wide array of patternsof pressure,force,and support; - Anything requiringboth high strength and low measured; analyzed;weighed; cut;reassembled;or re- volume. A parachute could not be made of Fog (un- duced to bacteria-sizedpiecesand sortedforrecycling. less,ofcourse,allthe airwere filledwith Fog,in which caseone could simply fly). - Anything requiringhigh heat.A Fog fireblazing 2 General Properties and Uses merrilyaway on Fog logsin a fireplacewould feelwarm on the skin a few feetaway; itwould feelthe same to As well as forming an extensionof the senses and a hand insertedintothe "flame". muscles of individualpeople, the Fog can act as a - Anything requiringmolecular manipulation or generalizedinfrastructurefor society at large. Fog chemical transformation. Fogletsare simply on the City need have no permanent buildingsof concrete, wrong scaleto play with atoms. In particular,they no roads of asphalt,no cars,trucks,or busses. Itcan cannot reproduce themselves.On theotherhand, they looklikea park,or a forest,or ifthe populationissuffi- can do things likeprepare food the same way a hu- cientlywhimsical,ancientRome one day and Emerald man cook does-by mixing, stirring,and usingspecial- City the next. purpose devicesthat were designed for them to use. Itwillbe more efficientto builddedicatedmachines - Fog cannot simulatefood, or anything elsetheft forlong distanceenergy and informationpropagation, is destinedto be broken down chemically. Eating it and physicaltransport.For localuse,and interfaceto would be likeeatingthe same amount of sand or saw- tileworldwide networks,the Fog isidealforallofthese dust. functions.It can act as shelter,clothing,telephone, - Fog can simulateair to the touch but not to the computer, and automobih. Itwillbe almost any com- eyes.The best indicationsare that itwould look like mon household object,appearing from nowhere when heavy fog. Thus the Fog would need to support a needed (and disappearingafterwards).It gainsa cer- pair of holographic gogglesin frontof the eyes of an tain efficiencyfrom this extreme of polymorphism; embedded user. Such goggles are clearlywithin the considerthe number of hardcopy photographs neces- capabilitiesof the same levelof nanotechnology as is sary to storeallthe images one seeson a televisionor needed for the Fog, but are beyond the scope of this computer screen. With UtilityFog we can have one paper. "display"and keep allour physicalpossesionson disk. Another item of infrastructurethat willbecome in- 2.2 Other Desirable Limitations creasinglyimportant in the futureisinformationpro- ceasing.Nanotechnology willallow us to buildsome In 1611,William Shakespeare wrote his finalplay, reallymonster computers. Although each Foglet will "The Tempest." 445 years later,an obscure science possess a comparatively small processor-which is to fictionwriter named W. J. Stuart updated the Tern- say the power of a current-daysupercomputer-there pest'splotintoa storycalled"Forbidden Planet,"and are about 16 millionFoglets to a cubic inch. When createda modern myth. those Fogletsare not doing anything else,i.e.when Forbidden Planet,more preciselythe movie version, they are simulatingthe interiorof a solidobjector air has become the classiccautionarytalcforany scenario that nothing ispassing through at the moment, they in which people become too powerfuland controltheir can be used as a computing resource(with the caveats environment too easily.In the story,the Krellare an below). ancient,wise,and highlyadvanced civilization.They perfect an enormous and powerful machine, capable of 2.1 The Limits of Utility Fog Capability projecting objects and forces anywhere in any form, upon the mental commands of any Krell. The ma- When discussing something as far outside of every- chine works "not wisely but too well," manifesting all day experience as the Utility Fog, it is a good idea the deeply buried subconscious desires of the Krell to to delineate both sides of the boundary. The Fog is destroy each other. capable of so lnany literally amazing things, we will Utility Fog will provide humans with powers that point out a few of the things it isn't capable of: approximate those of the fictional Krell machine. 116 Luckily,we have centuriesofliterarytraditionto guide concept of hierarchicalcontrolwith human oversight us around the pitfallsof hubrismade reality.We must can be seen to be hopelesslyinadequate. Agoric dis- study thistradition,or we may be doomed to repeat tributedcontrolalgorithmsofferone possiblesolution. it-a truth that isby no means limitedto the Utility Fog, or indeed to nanotechnology in general. 2.3 Advantages of a Utility Fog Environ- Tile firstthing we can do is to requirefullycon- ment scious,unequivocalcommands forthe Fog to take any action. Beyond that,we can try to suggest some of Another major advantage for space-fillingFog is the protocolsthat may be usefulin managing the Fog safety.In a car (oritsnanotech descendant) Fog forms in a situationwhere humans are interactingin close a dynamic form-fittingcushion that protectsbetter physicalproximity.Even ifwe have solved the prob- than any seatbeltof nylon fibers.An appropriately lem of translatingone'sindividualwishes,however ex- builthouse filledwith Fog couldeven protectitsinhab- pressed,intothe quadrillionsof setsof instructionsto itantsfrom the (physical)effectsof a nuclear weapon within 95% or so of itslethalblastarea. individualFogletsto accomplish what one desired,the problem of who gets to controlwhich Fogletsisprob- There are many more mundane ways the Fog can ably a much more contentiousone. protect itsoccupants, not the leastbeing physically to remove bacteria,mites, pollen,and so forth,from We can physicalizethe psychologicalconcept of the air.
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