What exactly is kinetic cellular automata?

The idea behind kinematic cellular automata is to get blocks, or cells, which slide over each other and move with respect to their neighbors. A key concept that Chris and I devised is to use scanning probes with shaped tips to manipulate only certain large cubic molecules. This concept is one solution to the "sticky fingers" and "fat fingers" critiques leveled against Drexlerian assemblers. It reduces the problem of building replicating nanofactories to three simple ones: • Synthesizing the nanoblocks using chemistry • Loading the probe tip; and • Connecting a nanoblock to the one that the probe is pressing it against It turns out that while dendrimers could be made cubic, they are too squishy. But there is a class of materials called silsesquioxanes - of which all are built around the basic molecular unit of silica, that is very promising. We have designed five-nanometer cubes that Dr. Richard Laine at University of Michigan is fairly certain that he can build with 30% yield. He has ...  more