From: Dennis Roberts (droberts@netvectors.com)
Date: Mon May 31 1999 - 13:52:43 MDT
Spike Jones wrote:
> Is it imaginable that some form of nanorganism could be made
> to reside in our cells, perhaps devouring a small share of the
> ATP produced by the mitochondria, and providing in return,
> some... some what? Intuition? spike
How about something a little less nanotechnologically intensive.
A device, or collection of devices that aids homeostasis- monitors
internal states and tweaks them back to optimum- that resides in the
stomach and/or intestinal tract. A cybernetic " tapeworm". A minimally
invasive device, it could even be modular like a tapeworm. It might be
powered by the potential difference between the proximal and distal small
intestine or even a methane (lots of that in the gut) fuel cell. With a
gut length of about ten meters, even a device with only a ten millimeter
cross-section would have plenty of room for a lot of useful technology
and if modular, an defective module could just be jetisoned and replaced
by a swallowed update. With an extension into the hepatic tract it could
even have access to the circulation through the portal system. It would
be repairable insitu ( endoscopy ) and with a through-the abdomen port (
belly button?) even better access to the outside could be possible.
Dennis Roberts
droberts@a-o.com
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