nanite n.

a nanomachine designed to build other nanomachines; a self-reproducing nanorobot

Memory Alpha


Star Trek

Robotics

  • 1989 Evolution (Star Trek: The Next Generation episode) (transcription)

    I've been working on my final project for Advanced Genetics. It’s on nanotechnology. I've been studying the nanites we have in the Sickbay genetic supplies. They're these little tiny robots with gigabytes of mechanical computer memory. They're designed to enter living cells and conduct repairs. They're supposed to remain confined to the lab.

  • 1990 Cinefantastique Sept. 40/1

    Evolution… Good character drama, is negated by a silly ‘sci-fi’ premise in which Nannites are accidentally released…into the ship’s computer system.

  • 1992 A. Steele Labyrinth of Night 315 Allen Steele bibliography

    Raw materials are being fed into the vats,…which in turn are being broken down into their basic elements by the nanites and reassembled into solid-state components for the starship.

  • 1996 W. Shatner Return xiii. 120 William Shatner

    The neuronic implant will kill him long before the nanites fatally reconfigure his body.

  • 2016 SFX Sept. 52/1 page image

    The Squad, recently released from prison and freshly implanted with coercive nanite bombs in their necks, are reunited with the gear confiscated when they were thrown in the slammer.

  • 2020 A. Irvine Anthropocene Rag vi. 62 Alex Irvine bibliography

    Private security, nanite scrubbers constantly flitting through the night sky like bats, the whole panorama of showy elitism in the ruins.


Research requirements

antedating 1989

Earliest cite

"Evolution", Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode

Research History
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2020 cite from Alex Irvine.

Last modified 2021-02-06 21:18:52
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.