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Phased Disassembler Array

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Tue, 2012-03-13 18:21

Prophet710 Prophet710's picture

Phased Disassembler Array

Even possible? Each Phased Disassembler Array uses fusion torches to break down materials into their constituent atoms, aftter which nano-robots recombine the atoms into the desired components or alloys. These small components would then be assembled into larger constructs, even something as complex as ships, computers or even pieces for habitat construction. The use of a PDA was used in conjunction with a Magneto-Hydrodynamic Shunt Field for material separation and utilization. The Magneto-Hydrodynamic Shunt Field was a field used in Phased Disassembler Arrays to separate constituent resources by their own atomic weight. Very little is known about the device which generated this field but the name would suggest that it used some kind of hydrodynamic (liquid motion) effect, and also a magnetic field, for separation and transportation of resources. pretty much all taken from Homeworld but I wanted to see if it would even fly.

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"And yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious eyes. And slowly, and surely, they drew their plans against us."

Wed, 2012-03-14 08:22

Xagroth

Re: Phased Disassembler Array

All nanotechnological builders (cornucopia machines and the others) are already capable of dissassembling materials for its use into constructions. I think its cheaper to deploy some swarms to deconstruct an asteroid into blocks of its component materials than to blow things, then grab the pieces, and filter them to the same effect, mostly because the swarm technology already exists and it is not as energy-hungry as the alternative. It could be used for other stuff, though, like alien tech, or technology used on human colonies where nanotechnology is not welcome for whatever reason (no, the Jovians use nanotech).

Wed, 2012-03-14 10:07

Prophet710 Prophet710's picture

Re: Phased Disassembler Array

Is there anywhere that actually details construction methods, etc. In Eclipse Phase or is the majority of such implied?

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"And yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious eyes. And slowly, and surely, they drew their plans against us."

Thu, 2012-03-15 04:06

Arenamontanus Arenamontanus's picture

Re: Phased Disassembler Array

Heating up materials so they dissociate into atoms and then separating them seems quite doable. Gerard O'Neil and others considered this as a way of processing lunar rock for space construction. Heat up the material so the atoms become ions, accelerate them a bit, send them through a magnetic field and they will sort themselves by mass (the heavier elements are deflected less). This currently looks rather inefficient, but given the signs that in the EPverse plasma physics and particle beams are well understood and controllable, it might be useful there. Technobabble criticism: Why not call it a disassembler array rather than a phased disassembler array - the "phased" in the term phased array refers to oscillators with controllable phase, and it has nothing to do with the purpose or presumably function of the disassembler array? If the sorting is done using mass deflection like I suggested, then it would not be a magnetohydrodynamic system. The term relates to fluids or plasmas where fluid dynamics and electromagnetic fields interact; however, a device that uses a dense plasma and somehow sorts would indeed likely be MHD. But I would likely just call it a mass sorter or element sorter - easier to pronounce.

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