NationStates Jolt Archive

Please leave constructive coments, no OMG THIS IS SO A GOD MOD as i am making this thread to prevent that. will be updated as i get new ideas.


Nanite torpedo; A standard space torpedo casing that holds millions of microscopic robots in a temperature controled chamber. any fluctuations in temperature larger then 5 degrees will ruin the nanites causing the torpedo to dud, leaving no significant damage to a target bigger then a fighter.

If the torpedo makes it to the target it will shatter, sending the nanites in all directions. the impact may damage some nanites, again causing them to become ineffective. the surviving robots will begin to eat away at the hull around the impact until they run out of power or are exposed to a big temperature change.

The standard lifespan of a nanite is about 30-40 seconds, long enough for serious weaking of the hull, consuming at about 1 inch every 3 seconds.

Because of the great costs of the nanits themselves added to the cost of the temperature control system, nanites torpedos are not used greatly. They are reserved for battleships and are generaly used only when taking on several large ships. a standard battleship will carry 3 of the torpedos.

Intelectual property belongs to the Holy church of Gaurdiani Di Anima.
If anyone wants to purchase the production rights or just some a few of any of the posted weapons i will be happy to sell.

Too complicated, and seemingly very expensive, for something that might ultimately do less damage than a standard explosive warhead.

Not to mention, explosives cause instaneous damage, and are relatively simple. These torpedos would just seem like a waste of credits.

That and nanites tend to be destroyed by mild electromagnetic fields. Hell, even static electricity tends to kill 'em.

to you maybe, but if you hit the right spot it could help alot. weaken a target for your fighters to hit, hit the bridge and anything could happen from just the bridge exterior deteriorating to it getting on the pilots and staff. Use it as a psycological weapon. realy freak people out if there ship just started disapearing in one place. Launch one into a hanger bay. now almost al of the ships have some nanites on them. these would be used tacticly not as brute strength as a regular torpedo but well thought out planning.

Now if you replaced it with a FT uber acid, you might be able to do some real damage.

That and nanites tend to be destroyed by mild electromagnetic fields. Hell, even static electricity tends to kill 'em.

That may be your nanite but not mine. mine are suceptable to changes in temperature, especialy if it heats up.

Now if you replaced it with a FT uber acid, you might be able to do some real damage.

acids are weak and an uber acid just seems like saying. " i have some magical substance that eats the metal on your ship but not my rocket :p "

Again, how are these any better than a standard explosive, or KE torp, or shell? These seem like a waste of money, where a very large, simply torp can be made in it's place, to do the same damage, but alot quicker, and much more effectively.

no you don't understand. they aren't just going for damage were going for 'last shot before we die. lets make them shit themselves with it' think about it, if any ship gets hit with a torpedo it goes boom and its over. but with this it goes thud and then slowly part of the ship disapears. in smaller ships it could make a hole. your walking along a coridor and the wall next to you just slowly disintegrates. you'd be like 'oh shit' or something, right?

A possible suggestion. Rather than 'eating/pulling apart the atoms that make up the hull' why not have the nannites attempt to take over a ship(or sections there off, ie: gunnery control, a shield generator, sensors ect).

Of course this is only highly effective when you aren't up against ships with counter-nannites.

acids are weak and an uber acid just seems like saying. " i have some magical substance that eats the metal on your ship but not my rocket :p "

jyst put it in an elctromagnetic field and have it 3 inches from the edges then put the EMF generator in the tip so when the thign hits the field disapates and the acid is flug forward.

Why bother with last ditch weapons that won't even destroy a large ship?

USe them enough, and they will know that it is only a last ditch weapon, and can't do all that much of damage to a large warship. Not to mention, active shields would knock it right out of space, ending it's use, where as an explosive charge might weaken the shields, or even disable them.

what weakens the sheild the impact or the explosion.

you've made your point about the damage find another one or stop spamming please.

A possible suggestion. Rather than 'eating/pulling apart the atoms that make up the hull' why not have the nannites attempt to take over a ship(or sections there off, ie: gunnery control, a shield generator, sensors ect).

Of course this is only highly effective when you aren't up against ships with counter-nannites.

well yes that would work. And the nanites could be reprogramed easliy, but only by hard wire. (no hijacking my 'nites) I should sell them blank with a couple of programs atached that could be used to program them to your suitings.

So if anyone wants to buy a torpedo full of blank nanites and the software to program them give me a reasonable price and i will sell.

You said you wanted help, and I told it with plain logic. Your choice not to listen to it. I will leave you to your "weapon".

jyst put it in an elctromagnetic field and have it 3 inches from the edges then put the EMF generator in the tip so when the thign hits the field disapates and the acid is flug forward.

well yes but i have an thing for nanites.(got me ripped apart on another rp site.)

You said you wanted help, and I told it with plain logic. Your choice not to listen to it. I will leave you to your "weapon".

no im just saying that you posted on the downfalls of the lack of damage once and the glory of a thread is that i can read it again. i don't need a constant reminder.

bump

The main cause of the nanites weakness is electrical and heat? However I do not understand why a temperature flux of just a few degrees is capable of killing them nor would electrical attacks.

In reality nanites (nanobots) are capable of surviving great temperatures (over 200C) and are even capable of 'driving'. The only thing electrical fields will do to them. Though I'd be weary of anyone with a weapon with no restrictions and no sure-way to stop them, however you must be sure of the makeup of the enemy before you use self-replicating nanites. I can ensure that if you are going to make such a weapon it will falter.

40 seconds to find and produce offspring? This is generally impossible its task. With the way spaceships are constructed the materials will not be ready. Though I can assure you if you think of this you can bypass all this static electricity and heat limits that sci-fi imposes on them, which is highly illogical.

Also... don't use organic nanities. Its a double-edged sword and if they can eat through a ship, you better be able to say why it won't eat through yours. (I've already thought of one, but this is a dangerous weapon even in FT)


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Guys if you are going to knock a hypothetical weapon you need to learn more about it before you base your arguements on anything.

My arguements:

Claim: Nanomachines even now can take over 200C and can easily take heat.
Grounds: Rice University students made a car in nano-scale that rolled and was tested at 200 C to make sure it was rolling.
Warrent: If it can take room temperature to 200C it will not be destroyed by heat.

Claim: Nanomachines will not be destroyed by electric static.
Grounds: Rice University tested the cars and at room temperature the gold atoms tightly held them in place.
Warrant: If something is attached to an object and an electic current runs through it when it is grounded an insulator (such as silicon) on a nanoscopic scale will prevent it from being a good contact and reduce chances of elimination.

Claims: Nanomachines are not suspectible to electrical frying:
Grounds: Simplistic non-electric machines are not affected by electricity. (Pullies or the sort that do not run on electrical charges)
Warrent: If their is nothing to to fry it cannot be stopped so easily.

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Don't make stupid comments if you aren't prepared to back them up. :)

This weapon is infinitely less useful than a simple nuke, or even a friggin’ HE torp, and we keep telling you that. Even though you asked for our opinions, you are not listening to them. Just go with HE.

This weapon is infinitely less useful than a simple nuke, or even a friggin’ HE torp, and we keep telling you that. Even though you asked for our opinions, you are not listening to them. Just go with HE.


Unless its armor is impentratable to that or you want to destroy specific planet-based targets with precision on a scale or otherwise impossible to destroy basis without seriously destroying an advantage.

(Destroy shield generators or parts of equipment to render them useless, but capturable and repairable. Or even to turn planet-based vehicles and other things into explosives with proper programming and a mission)

That's what lasers and missiles are for. Or low-yield torpedoes, come to think of it. And as others have stated before me, if you must have the so-called "eaten away" effect, use acid or, at the very least, a more durable nanite.

That's what lasers and missiles are for. Or low-yield torpedoes, come to think of it. And as others have stated before me, if you must have the so-called "eaten away" effect, use acid or, at the very least, a more durable nanite.

I kinda already pointed it out that they would be more durable and his information on them is not possible to be that sensitive.

i the tempeture vulnerability is a built in feature incase of malfunctions. also the nanites are not there to reproduce. just to eat, how much credibility do you think i would have if i had a weapon that upon hitting your ship slowly devoured it until it was nothing. i'd get ignore cannoned right out of the forum. Also if they are not self replicating the structure would be easier to creat and thus cheaper.

i the tempeture vulnerability is a built in feature incase of malfunctions. also the nanites are not there to reproduce. just to eat, how much credibility do you think i would have if i had a weapon that upon hitting your ship slowly devoured it until it was nothing. i'd get ignore cannoned right out of the forum. Also if they are not self replicating the structure would be easier to creat and thus cheaper.

i the tempeture vulnerability is a built in feature incase of malfunctions. also the nanites are not there to reproduce. just to eat, how much credibility do you think i would have if i had a weapon that upon hitting your ship slowly devoured it until it was nothing. i'd get ignore cannoned right out of the forum. Also if they are not self replicating the structure would be easier to creat and thus cheaper.

Thing is you are building with atoms. Unless they are going to become gas or plasma at any state and it ripped them apart, I doubt it would be from a few degrees. Though I guess you could have it internally made to go boom or be ripped apart if you wanted to. :D Just to tell you, space alone will fry them if you do this.

i may have exagerated the exact diference needed to destroy them.

Eraclea']In reality nanites (nanobots) are capable of surviving great temperatures (over 200C) and are even capable of 'driving'.

No they're not. In reality the smallest living things [biological nanites, in other words] have to wrap themselves in spores or they'll be destroyed by sunlight. The tiny volume means they heat up very quickly.

Eraclea']Claim: Nanomachines even now can take over 200C and can easily take heat.
Grounds: Rice University students made a car in nano-scale that rolled and was tested at 200 C to make sure it was rolling.

That's because it was a simple block with two rollers. If you want circuitry and for the nanite to actually do something, you'll have to put up with it being enormously sensitive to temperature changes.

Eraclea']Claim: Nanomachines will not be destroyed by electric static.
Grounds: Rice University tested the cars and at room temperature the gold atoms tightly held them in place.

That would, again, be due to a lack of electronics in the tiny cars. As you said, all they did was roll, so unless you hit them hard enough to weld the wheels or vapourise them, they'd survive. It's obscene to suggest this means any nanomachine would be similarly durable; it's like saying that since an axe will survive being set on fire, so will a laptop PC.

Eraclea']Grounds: Simplistic non-electric machines are not affected by electricity.

Would you care to tell me what a 'simple non-electric machine' with no actuators or programming would actually be able to do?

To the thread author: read this.

http://stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Myths/Nanotech.html

Your nanites would be removing literally microscopic portions of the enemy's hull, which is tough armour, and wouldn't have the power reserves to do any significant damage at all.

Biological yes. Though how will they survive in the vacuum of space, even with that couldn't you craft them to people able to take a large amount heat? Why craft them after weak single celled bacteria and not adapted ones to intense heat and otherwise 'unlivable conditions'.

Although the electrical problem (for higher order ones, I'd be using simple ones that would act as an acid (not actual deconstructive ones) and simply destroy it from the like an acid. Though if you are up against super dense matter that has few holes on an atomic scale, the damage done will be minimal anyways.

As for the small volume, that is very true, though given from the Rice University model and heating one I do not see this as a huge threat, as even the Buckyballs (carbon atoms in a hollow sphere) did not be destroyed by the temperature.

To a certain point they are weak, but Drexler's work pointed to this being capable of great things, but with many flaws. Nanites that are organic are probably the weakest and most powerful form of nano-technology. This is why I am so against them.

Organic nanites... this means they will be composed of the same building blocks of all live and would be replicating off living things indiscriminately. Though they might be preyed upon by the other organic matter (like bacteria) that would compete for materials. (Bacteria have an exponetional growth rate, but the period between each growth is slower then nanites specially made to produce 'drones')

Complex nanites have too many flaws, I'm more for a controlled, non-replicating and no circuitry nanite then complex, larger, replicating and easy to destroy ones.

He went with acid kind of nanite, if its going to eat away the ship its going need to be incredibly tough to temperature, electrical and maybe even organic matter as it eats through the ship.


GMC Military Arms, if you want my ideal nanite it would be a mixture of heavy metals in a simple strong construction wrapped in polyyne shell in large clusters. Controlled by light to designate targets and movement and attack its target.

Eraclea']Although the electrical problem (for higher order ones, I'd be using simple ones that would act as an acid (not actual deconstructive ones) and simply destroy it from the like an acid.

Erm...And how would it avoid destroying the other non-acidic components of itself? Acidity is a function of chemical structure, you can't just decide you want to be an acid now.

Eraclea']Nanites that are organic are probably the weakest and most powerful form of nano-technology. This is why I am so against them.

Well, they're the most useful, certainly, being good for everything from gene therapy to biological warfare, but they're fairly limited.

Eraclea']Complex nanites have too many flaws, I'm more for a controlled, non-replicating and no circuitry nanite then complex, larger, replicating and easy to destroy ones.

The nanotech you gave as an example was essentially a toy that does nothing but roll. You want yours to perform complex actions like guide itself to a target, so you need something on board to tell it how to do that.

Eraclea']He went with acid kind of nanite, if its going to eat away the ship its going need to be incredibly tough to temperature, electrical and maybe even organic matter as it eats through the ship.

But it can't do that. Also, acids would eat away at the structure of the nanite itself; it's unlikely to be made of material vastly more resistant to acid damage than the hull of a starship; in any case, the tiny amount of corrosive the nanite could actually carry would do almost nothing.

Eraclea']GMC Military Arms, if you want my ideal nanite it would be a mixture of heavy metals in a simple strong construction wrapped in polyyne shell in large clusters. Controlled by light to designate targets and movement and attack its target.

But how would it identify the signals? How would it move without any kind of engine and no system of attitude control or triggering thrust? How would it know when it arrived, what to do when it arrived, and how to do it? What would it use to actually damage the target?

You can't just handwave away the fact that it would require control systems and coding to tell it what to do by saying what it would be made of.