I for one..
I for one welcome our new replicator overlords!
*The Aasgard almost got wiped out by them, what chance do we have!
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they have shown how to code smart substances that can automatically copy an object and reproduce it. The team from MIT's Distributed Robotics Laboratory have developed a testable algorithm that uses interlinking smart systems – in this case, "smart pebbles." These are …
I'd assume the rate of shrinkage would be exponential, in which case we'll drop below 250µm (the upper limit of fine sand according to Wikipedia) in a smidgen over 17 years.
Why would you assume that, when such a device at such a scale is completely unimaginable with current technology, even if Moore's law were to continue unstopped for another 17 years (which it probably won't)?
For instance, never mind miniaturization, think about surface area to volume ratios.