[avdlinde]

On a tangent here, but "not just 3d printing a plastic part" got me thinking.

Scientists, instead of requesting time on Hubble, ask time for the 3DBuilderAndExperimenter, give it a blueprint and inputs/outputs, it runs, returns any results, and is recycled.

[Teever]

The first scientist should ask the genie for more wishes, er, I mean, for the 3DbuilderAndExperimenter to build another 3DBuilderAndExperimenter

[ben_w]

Certainly, professor Von Neumann: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine

We are such machines, so we know they’re possible to make, even though we don’t yet know how to make one on Earth let alone in space.

[jhgorrell]

But we only need to make one of them!

[ctdonath]

The “and is recycled” part puts a crimp in that plan. :-)