Scan-it and Fix-it- nanite spray cans.

[kilemall]

Scan-it spray cans allows for a quick nanite-based scan of the damage state of smaller power/weapons/electronics equipment, including microscopic fractures, circuit state, power flow, and material strength.

The user sprays the equipment to be scanned in and out. A typical can will provide enough material for two cubic meters, including inside surfaces. Depending on complexity and internal surface, that could be quite a smaller device.

The nanites will default to spread evenly throughout all surfaces and crevices, and under a slight charge will go to reflection mode, allowing very detailed analysis with lower tech neutron tunneling or x-ray equipment.

At higher tech levels the nanites can be interfaced by a hand computer with the requisite control program and can get very detailed results of the state of the equipment, down to diagnostics of circuit breaks, weaknesses to be fix/replaced, etc.

The nanites will form a wireless transmitter when in short range of a Scan-it handcomp, allowing for direct communication with nanite networks inside the device. A direct tap into the sprayed surface of the device being scanned will work too.

There are generic diagnostic templates that normally come with the Scan-it programs, but best results come from using manufacturer diagnostics, which may incur a small fee to have on hand or come with the device on purchase.

Fix-it is two tech levels up, in which the nanites can be instructed to actually fix any microfractures or electronics breaks, breaking down extra material on hand inside the device to get raw supplies and affect the repair.

This level requires diagnostic AND manufacturing templates, which usually costs quite a bit more as they essentially allow maker creation if allowed to. There are serious controls put in place to prevent abuse of the Fix-it system.

Fix-it cannot effectively fix larger equipment, but it can often fix small critical control/power flow parts.

Starship crews swear by these products with the same fervor as duct tape, as they can save disassembly to find a problem when normal diagnostic systems fail, and fix something rather then lose a ship for want of a spare card.

 

[aramis]

Grey Goo Nanotech... either it takes a long time, or it violates conservation of energy...

There are good reasons that Nanites are avoided - fueling them for such activity is itself a major problem thermodynamically.

 

[kilemall]

Grey Goo Nanotech... either it takes a long time, or it violates conservation of energy...

There are good reasons that Nanites are avoided - fueling them for such activity is itself a major problem thermodynamically.

<Shrug> plug em in then.

 

[aramis]

<Shrug> plug em in then.

How?

Keep in mind, an old comment restated...

You can reshape metals

• Quickly
• Accurately
• Coolly

But you only get to pick 2 of the three.

To get them to effect repairs on components, they need to be able to to transmit and control the energy needed to melt the materials. And that's surprisingly large amounts of energy.

And moving energy ALWAYS results in waste heat. (Thermodyamics rears it's really annoying head.) To effect repairs over a large area in a useful timeframe, you're generating a HUGE amount of waste heat.

Oh, and moving them generates a bunch of waste heat. (Thermodynamics, again.)

So, it's not just, "Plug them in," but "Plug them in and keep them from melting anything else while powering themselves."

That is one of the reasons that Gray-Goo is on the forbidden list for the OTU. (That it also just generally makes life way-too-easy for PC's is another.)

 

[kilemall]

I had no idea nanotech was never going to be in OTU.

Although the stuff should be treated as potentially something worse then bioweapons or nukes, perhaps a nano-Butlerian Jihad rule. "Thou shalt not make a molecule in thy image"?

In my head that would be a BIG chunk of the tech a maker is using, although more like a 'matter printer' at the molecular level.

While I would accept as likely your 2 out of 3 critique of nanotech in a practical sense, I do think my limited use is intended for 'small repairs', most of that area coverage is for the sensor comms and power components.

So given the scale, hairline cracks breaking optoelectronic circuits, misalignment throwing off precision power control, microfracture threats to high stress events, I think I am largely beating the thermodynamic witch here.

 

[Enoki]

Would this solution save money over something else? I see this (besides any problems with physics) as a very uneconomical means of repair. Duct tape is cheap.

You have some penny pinching far trader captain, he's not likely to be keen on a 1000 credit a can spray repair... or the like... "Here's a 3 credit roll of duct tape and a roll of steel wire I found. Fix it best ya can!"

 

[kilemall]

Would this solution save money over something else? I see this (besides any problems with physics) as a very uneconomical means of repair. Duct tape is cheap.

You have some penny pinching far trader captain, he's not likely to be keen on a 1000 credit a can spray repair... or the like... "Here's a 3 credit roll of duct tape and a roll of steel wire I found. Fix it best ya can!"

Depends on your POV and cost/benefit.

The sort of diagnostics this stuff goes after probably requires 40-200,000 Cr scanning equipment, minimum, possibly starport repair or large warship only, not likely hauled around by our trader captains, and would take up space that could be used for cargo.

Can save on having spare parts on, especially if they are rarely replaced due to usually being ultrareliable.

And then, there is the cost of 1-3000 Cr of spray can plus the handcomp bits vs. losing the whole ship.

Cheap captain guy is gonna lose his ship and get his crew killed. That doesn't mean people who know what they are doing are onboard with his problem solving methodology.

 

[aramis]

I had no idea nanotech was never going to be in OTU.

Nanotech is in the OTU.

Grey goo like this isn't.

Then again, the actual textbook definition of nanotech includes most current microprocessors...

 

[kilemall]

Any other tech off the OTU list?

 

[aramis]

Any other tech off the OTU list?

Any form of FTL communication other than sending ships.
Any method of jumping a vehicle under 100Td total displacement.

There are a few more that I can't recall at the moment that are on Marc's "Never" list.

 

[whulorigan]

Any form of FTL communication other than sending ships.

I know this has been alluded to before, and I don't remember if there was a clear answer:

IIRC, the quote was no REALTIME FTL-Communication. That could also be interpreted as the possibility of future-ultratech FTL-Communication that still has a time-lag of some sort (somewhat analogous to interplanetary lightspeed communication). And is the restriction that it is just physically impossible, period, or that it is simply not possible at the TL of any of the published milieux? Could the Ancients or a post TL26+ society have FTL Communications?

 

[aramis]

I know this has been alluded to before, and I don't remember if there was a clear answer:

Marc has, at various points, stated it different ways. The most recent I've seen from Marc (and it wasn't public, but was a Don/Wil/Rob email from the last 3 years) was "No FTL communications other than ships."

An earlier form explicitly excluded FTL radio, and a recent set of limits on Psionics indicates that they're C-Limited as well.

Ohand given last week's proof that gravity waves not only exist, but propagate at C... even gravity comms can be ruled out.