The discussion centers on the theoretical limits of mechanical actuators, particularly focusing on the maximum strength that could be achieved by an actuator of human size, as well as the potential methods an advanced civilization might employ to create such devices. The scope includes theoretical physics, engineering principles, and speculative technologies.
Participants express differing views on the capabilities of current technology versus theoretical limits, with no consensus on the maximum strength achievable by human-sized actuators or the specific laws of physics that would govern these limits.
The discussion includes assumptions about the definitions of "strength" and "actuator," as well as the implications of current technological limitations versus theoretical possibilities. The exact nature of the laws of physics referenced remains unspecified.
Very advanced optical tweezers can theoretically be stronger than mechanical actuators. You can theoretically tailor a material with individual molecules kept at "waist" of beams of different wavelength. This way you can move actuator at larger accelerations and press it harder than its mechanical strength allows, because force is applied to entire volume of actuator instead of just one end.jhami said:What is the strongest actuator (that can exert a controlled amount of force & be able to start/stop linearly or rotationally) that an infinitely advanced civilization could create, and how (what object/process) would they do it? It must be non-lethal or be shielded to be non-lethal at a distance of a few cm and the size and mass must be macroscopic.
jhami said:Yes but that is with current technological limits. What is the maximum physical limit (e.g. only limited by the laws of physics) that a actuator that is human sized can have?