Message from Colin:

This collection of notes is an attempt to document the core engineering and science involved in building and operating the productive nanosystems Nanocytronic is pioneering. It will start out as a random compilation of notes, papers and reports that will slowly evolve into a textbook explaining the concepts through existing principles of biochemistry, nanofabrication, computer science and electrical engineering among other disciplines. Perhaps one day, a proper textbook shall be published with continuously updated versions as the technology develops. It will remain free online for all who wish to learn, take up a career in the field or build projects of their own. This effort was inspired by Eric Drexler’s publishing of Nanosystems

Certain engineering details specific to Nanocytronic's implementations will be omitted or generalized where they constitute proprietary work in progress. The goal here is foundational literacy!

Reach out to the authors at nanocytronic (insert website link and contact details later) for any correspondence.

Table of Contents

1. What Are Programmable Nanosystems?
   • Eric Drexler, Dry Nanosystems and Wet Ones
   • Cells And Biochemistry Are Wet Stochastic Nanosystems
2. System Components
   • Structural systems
   • Molecular Sorting, Processing and Transformations with inbuilt accessories
   • Motors and Moving parts
   • signal transmission
   • Computation systems
3. Manufacturing components
   • insert Polymerisation machinery and processes…
4. Applications
   1. Cytotronics(bioengineering)
      • Intro to Cytotronics
      • Principles of probe locomotion, Sensing and Perturbation
      • Cell repair
      • Cell sensing and Cell-computer interfaces
      • Cell augmentation/enhancement
      • Cell replacement
   2. Nanosystems-enhanced Materials
      • Manufacturing
        • Talk about Productive nanosystems: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Productive_nanosystems
        • The nanoeconomics of compressing manufacturign to feedstock and energy costs alone
      • Seamless Fabric (see Engines of creation (chapter 6: Space and advanced technology). Page 91 of the 1986 version.)
      • Sensing
      • Surface repair
      • Metamorphic surfaces and products
        • Heat dissipation
        • Vibration isolation
        • displays
        • speakers, microphones
        • Transient structural, acoustic, electrical properties, etc.
        • Ubiquitous computing (metamorphic materials as a mesh network of boolean logic calculators)
      • etc etc.
5. Safety
   • Astronomical waste and the absolute need for safety (https://nickbostrom.com/papers/astronomical-waste/)
   • The 2 Agents of Risk (intentional and unintentional agents)
   • The 4 Big Risks
   • Solutions
6. Beyond molecular regimes (AP nanosystems)
   1. Reducing Chapter 2 till the atom - Explain how search for performance gains would push to incrementally reduce the number of molecules needed for the nanosystems in chapter 2 till the "monomers" and building blocks are individual molecules/atoms
   2. Lesser self assembly, more deliberate bond formation till single atomic bonds (towards mechanosynthetic architectures from current)
   • Useful: see Nanosystems chapter 15 & 16.

Last updated: June 2026.