The buildingof a real-lifeversion of "Maxwell'sdemon" – whichcanturninformationintousefulenergy – might mean thatfuturenanomachinescan be poweredpurely by information.
He described a hypothetical scenario in which self-replicating nanomachines able to break down biological material could run amok, replicating exponentially and turning terrestrial life into mush.
In his latest paper Drexler and co-author Chris Phoenix of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) propose a manufacturing model in which nanomachines could duplicate themselves without the risk of runaway replication.