Grey goo  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to:
navigation, search  Grey goo (also spelled gray goo) is a
hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular
nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots
consume all matter on Earth while building more of
themselves,[1][2] a scenario that has been called ecophagy
("eating the environment").[3] The original idea assumed
machines were designed to have this capability, while
popularizations have assumed that machines might somehow gain
this capability by accident.  Self-replicating machines of the
macroscopic variety were originally described by mathematician
John von Neumann, and are sometimes referred to as von Neumann
machines. The term gray goo was coined by nanotechnology pioneer
Eric Drexler in his 1986 book Engines of Creation.[4] In 2004 he
stated, "I wish I had never used the term 'gray goo'."[5]
Engines of Creation mentions "gray goo" in two paragraphs and a
note, while the popularized idea of gray goo was first publiciz