A universal constructor may refer to
- Universal assembler, a hypothesized nanotechnology device for building a large class of nanomachines including itself, or
- Von Neumann universal constructor, an abstract device capable of constructing all constructible artifacts of an environment. The notion of same, as described by John Von Neumann via his kinematic (robotic) and tessellation (cellular automata) models.
Famous quotes containing the word universal:
“To revolutionize, at one effort, the universal world of human thought, human opinion, and human sentiment.... All that he has to do is to write and publish a very little book. Its title should be simple—a few plain words—”My Heart Laid Bare.” But—this little book must be true to its title.”
—Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)