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Syntech/Synanotech |
| Synanotech - Data Panel
Definition: [1] tech that incorporates both wet (bio) and dry (mechano) tech principles [2] nanomachines constructed of organic molecules, using the same chemistry and metabolic pathways as life itself A few alternative terms: Sytech, Synth, Synano, Wetdry, Soft nano, Soft bots Level: Ultratech Scale/Density: Nanotech Substrate: Organic - CHON Application: almost any use, allowing for environmental limitations Distribution and Availability: found in all the Sephirotics and major polities, and among some xenosophont empires, as well as in most regions outside the metaempires. Legal Status: Basic templates and genomes public domain; restricted templates and genomes available for wealthy, powerful, or in many Free Zones; proscribed templates and genomes can be had outside angelnetted and supervised polities for those who know where to look. Environmental Requirements: most syntech requires oxygenated or other specific environments. Ease of Use; Care and Maintenance: Most synano has specific applications, depending on genome and template. Common public domain templates are always easy to use and require only minimal care and feeding. Other, more specialised or exotic, templates may be higher maintenance. Synano is self-healing, some is self-replicating Popular With: Many clades and phyles of sapient grade and above |
Synano only became possible when both wet (bio-) and dry (mechanical) nano had been mastered. While a number of early forms were developed during the late interplanetary period, it was not until the first federation era that synano and syntech really came into its own. Using the same chemical and metabolic pathways as organic life and bionano, but with the efficiency of dry nanotech, synanotech became very popular, although it was some time before it was able to match the bioassemblers in cheapness and reliable. With the second toposophic and the emergence of picolects during the late first federation period, new more robust forms of synano were developed as well, and there was a great deal of cross-breeding and mutation between synano and bionano, as well as between synano and organic biota. On its own, synano also, like bionano, readily developed into complex, beautiful, and sometimes dangerous nanecologies. Synano replicators also proved a potent goo, although dry nano still make more efficient disassemblers in a vacuum environment. Even so, most "wild" nano out on the periphery is synano rather than dry nano or bionano.
Despite its popularity, versatility, and economical nature, the unpredictable quality of synano has caused many clades to favour dry nanotech. In fact, the built-in redundancy of good quality mechanical nanites serves these clades' purposes very well.
Mechmoss
and Nanoalgae partly biotech, partly nanotech
photosynthetic organisms
Nanorot synano disassembly swarm, often feral with high nuisance value
Plantbots - synano robots capable of photosynthesis; generally sessile or with limited movement
Sybonts
- Category of sophonts created through or consisting of synanotech
main graphic by Keith Wigdor
page uploaded 1 May 2003, last modified 19 April 2004