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"By the time I can take people out to where Hubble is looking, they won't be human anymore, by a long way."
- Larry Niven
 |
| Embryonic Robots | ||
| Very small robots, possibly a very early reference to nanotechnology in science fiction. |
At this point in the story, someone uses a lifelike humanoid robot to plant listening devices (and maybe more):
| The bureaucrat in Appleford had been ensnared by the bait; his attention distracted, the librarian had become oblivious to the robot and to its actions. Therefore, as Appleford read, the robot expertly slid its chair back and to the left side, close to a reference card case of impressive proportions. Lengthening its right arm, the robot crept its manual grippers of fingeroid shape into the nearest file of the case; this Appleford did of course not see, and so the robot then continued with its assigned task. It placed a miniaturized nest of embryonic robots, no larger than pinheads, within the card file, then a tiny find-circuit transmitter behind a subsequent card, then at last a potent detonating device set on a three-day command circuit. |
| From Counter Clock World,
by Philip K. Dick. Published by Berkley in 1967 Additional resources -
|
The purpose of these tiny "embryonic robots" is not clear; neither is their functioning. However, the notion of a robot that is no larger than a pinhead is clearly a reference to what we today would call a "nanobot" or nanotechnology machine. See the article on autofac for an even earlier reference from Dick.
(Thanks to Rudi Martinez for this suggestion.)
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Tech news articles related to Counter Clock World
Tech news articles related to works by Philip K. Dick
Embryonic Robots-related
news articles:
- Bush Signs Nanotech R&D Act
- Untethered Microrobots Dance, Form Self-Organized Structures
| China Building Robot Wives |
| Stan, Robot Valet, Will Drag Your Car Away |
| Jibo Home Robot Says Goodbye, Is Killswitched |
| I Can't Resist Worm Robots |
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