RE: Nanomilitary policy

From: Billy Brown (bbrown@transcient.com)
Date: Wed Mar 15 2000 - 16:26:35 MST


Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
> Robert Freitas doesn't like nanomeds that dissipate more than a certain
> amount of energy; I don't recall what the exact ceiling was, but I think
> it was the major limiting factor.

An interesting point, and a good example of why early nanotech is so
destabilizing. The human body is a very fragile battlefield for diamondoid
nanotech to fight over, and improving it enough to matter is a lot harder
than building basic nanobots.

IMHO a fully mature nanotech would actually shift the military balance well
in favor of the defense, but surviving long enough to get to that point
looks iffy. Nanobots are so much more capable than biological systems that
you are completely dependant on other nanotech for defense, and the
defending systems need a solid margin of superiority if you want them to
stop an attack *and* preserve a bunch of fragile organic systems at the same
time.

Billy Brown
bbrown@transcient.com



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