Self-replicating machines, or Von Neumann machines, are artificial cells.
The artificial cell, or biological nanomachine, is an organic structure that can make a copy of itself using polymerase reactions. So, we can say that the polymerase molecules that can duplicate themselves are the artificial cells. The nanopolymer that can self-replicate is the simplest possible artificial cell. If that kind of polymer travels in the desired cells, it can simply fill those cells. That means those molecules act like ricin. The nanomachine can also destroy the cell so that the gangrene will not spread.
Those organic polymers can also be used to close blood vessels. In ideal cases, those molecules can make copies of themselves using molecules that are in their environment. So the nanomachine can benefit similar proteins that form cells. That makes those polymers suitable for surgical operations. But those things can also have military applications. The artificial cell can produce those molecules. The cell can release them through its ion pump.
"The terms "artificial cell" and "synthetic cell" are used in a variety of different fields and can have different meanings, as it is also reflected in the different sections of this article. Some stricter definitions are based on the assumption that the term "cell" directly relates to biological cells and that these structures therefore have to be alive (or part of a living organism) and, further, that the term "artificial" implies that these structures are artificially built from the bottom-up, i.e. from basic components. As such, in the area of synthetic biology, an artificial cell can be understood as a completely synthetically made cell that can capture energy, maintain ion gradients, contain macromolecules as well as store information and have the ability to replicate. This kind of artificial cell has not yet been made." (Wikipedia, Artificial cell)
That is the nanotechnical version of the artificial cells. Technology advances, and AI can read DNA quite well. That means the DNA-controlled nanomachines, like cells that produce medicines, travel in the body, search for the right cells, and then inject those medicines into targeted cells, can be a reality quite soon. Those cells might have a self-destruction mode. When they do their mission, they will destroy themselves. Those cells might not have the ability to decay. But there is always the possibility that some retrovirus can destroy that self-destruction mechanism.
The macro-size version of those things is the automated factory that uses robot swarms and robot groups to make a copy of itself. Those automated, AI-controlled systems can play a vital role in space exploration.
The automated factory utilizes robots to source materials for new robots and other products that can be manufactured using advanced 3D printers. That system can create a fully functioning copy of itself. So that means the Von Neumann machines, or self-replicating machines, are some kind of macro cells. The nano-sized artificial cell is the nano-sized Von Neumann machine.
But the artificial cell can also mean that DNA is cleaned of unnecessary sequences. That means those artificial cells can make only things that their creators want. The artificial cell can create many things, like artificial spider silk, which is one of the strongest materials in nature. The hollow fiber of nanosilk can be used to destroy targeted cells. Those nano-silk fibers can lock the targeted cells' ion pumps. Or they can be used to inject things like biologically produced medicines into the desired cells. Artificial cells are like physical versions of distilled AI. Those cells can do only things that their creators want.
The polymerase chain reactions make it possible to create lots of those systems. The self-replicating molecules can make new types of medicine possible. And they can also be used in self-assembly structures. But the artificial cells required outside energy sources, until now. The internal power source makes those cells more independent. That allows them to travel in the body and search for things like bacteria and cancer cells.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/first-artificial-cell-chemical-navigation
https://phys.org/news/2025-05-artificial-cell-mimic-reproduction-polymeric.html
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cell
