Programmable Matter

[mike]

The concept of programmable matter can be thought of as "the ultimate form of digital printing", Rattner told ZDNet Asia Wednesday in an interview. "You literally could make an object of any imaginable shape, or design an object of any imaginable shape, and simply 'hit the print command' and the matter would take that shape.

"[The late] Arthur C. Clarke (famed British author and inventor) had this wonderful quote: 'Any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic.' And that's what programmable matter is--it's a technology so advanced it might as well be magic," he said.

Intel teases shape-shifting programmable matter - ZDNet

But materials with unheard-of toughness, hardness, conductivity and insulation abilities, and the ability to transition from one mode to another when needed, are a lot more feasible. So you can have that sci-fi staple, the "leather" jacket that turns into high carbon steel when someone shoots you, or you fall off your motorcycle.

The programmable matter revolution

 

[mike]

The application as envisaged at the end of this one is interesting, Its basically StarTreks Holodeck technology

And imagine a combination of substrate independant intellect, driving programmable matter.........

 

[Blabyboy]

so... as ever sex is going to drive innovation

I think, when they(if) they do around to selling this concept seriously, they need to be careful. These 'catoms' still have a set size and mass, so converting from one form to another isn't always going to be possible - I wonder if the phone to laptop would be feasible given their different sizes and mass densities?

you may also be interested in programmable DNA

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