#380 – Neil Gershenfeld: Self-Replicating Robots and the Future of Fabrication

Neil Gershenfeld is the director of the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– LMNT: https://drinkLMNT.com/lex to get free sample pack
– NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour
– BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off

EPISODE LINKS:
Neil’s Website: http://ng.cba.mit.edu/
MIT Center for Bits and Atoms: https://cba.mit.edu/
Fab Foundation: https://fabfoundation.org/
Fab Lab community: https://fablabs.io/
Fab Academy: https://fabacademy.org/
Fab City: https://fab.city/

PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman
YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips

SUPPORT & CONNECT:
– Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast
– Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman
– Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(05:37) – What Turing got wrong
(11:02) – MIT Center for Bits and Atoms
(24:08) – Digital logic
(30:44) – Self-assembling robots
(41:12) – Digital fabrication
(52:07) – Self-reproducing machine
(59:53) – Trash and fabrication
(1:04:49) – Lab-made bioweapons
(1:09:04) – Genome
(1:20:56) – Quantum computing
(1:25:28) – Microfluidic bubble computation
(1:30:49) – Maxwell’s demon
(1:39:35) – Consciousness
(1:46:35) – Cellular automata
(1:51:07) – Universe is a computer
(1:55:53) – Advice for young people
(2:05:10) – Meaning of life