An Interactive Self-Replicator Implemented in Hardware

Abstract

Self-replicating loops presented to date are essentially worlds unto themselves, inaccessible to the observer once the replication process is launched. In this article we present the design of an interactive self-replicating loop of arbitrary size, wherein the user can physically control the loop's replication and induce its destruction. After introducing the BioWall, a reconfigurable electronic wall for bio-inspired applications, we describe the design of our novel loop and delineate its hardware implementation in the wall.