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Bioforge

A biological factory or manufacturing device capable of creating a wide range of biotech products.

bioforge
Guaranteed to recycle 90% of its own waste products

Bionanotech construction system specialized for the production of protoplasmic materials, specifically living tissue and organisms.

A bioforge is similar in basic structure to a common nanoforge, using processed raw materials to feed complex nanoassembly systems which can construct a wide variety of products. However, a bioforge's systems are optimized for the production of organic matter and, more importantly, for the creation and ongoing maintenance of living tissue.

Unlike more standardized nanofacturing systems, which perform the majority of their operations within a self-contained vacuum or inert gas environment, a bioforge must operate with an internal workspace maintained at temperatures, pressures, and gas mixtures conducive to the health and well-being of living cells and complex organisms which must be kept operational and in good health even while their construction is going on. This has the effect of slowing bioforge operations considerably, often to only a tenth of the production speed of most nanoforge systems. Larger 'industrial grade' units will often employ high efficiency cooling systems which increase production speed to approximately 1/3 that of equivalent capacity nanoforge systems at the cost of greater size (for large living organisms however synthesis times are on par or worse than specialised engenerators). Most bioforges can configure their interior manufacturing spaces to operate as either a single volume or as an entire array of subdivided cells, each nurturing a separate lifeform or separate components of a lifeform which are grown together as nanofacturing progresses.

Bioforges come in a wide variety of sizes and capabilities. Small 'personal use' units sized to fit on a countertop and with a working volume of perhaps a third of a meter on a side are often used by hobbyists to produce gengineered cell cultures, seeds, fertilized eggs and embryos, and small or immature animal forms which are then planted in growth media or raised to maturity in incubator and support systems. Larger, 'professional' or 'production' class systems can readily produce full grown life-forms of many sizes while easily fitting into a corner or a large room. Finally, large-scale 'industrial grade' forges are capable of synthesizing entire integrated ecosystems and decanting them into the environment. Such systems are often used in conjunction with high-speed terraforming projects and large-scale habitat construction.

Bioforges are often used in combination with a genestick, and are generally subject to similar rules and regulations regarding their use.

 
Appears in Topics
AgricultureEverydaytechGengineering
High Tech / HitechManufacturingNanotech
Organic/Biotech
 
Development Notes
Text by Todd Drashner
Graphic by Steve Bowers from original images by Bernd Helfert
Initially published on 25 April 2006.

 
 
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