EMBODIED COMPUTATION: APPLYING THE PHYSICS OF COMPUTATION TO ARTIFICIAL MORPHOGENESIS

Abstract

We discuss the problem of assembling complex physical systems that are structured from the nanoscale up through the macroscale, and argue that embryological morphogenesis provides a good model of how this can be accomplished. Morphogenesis (whether natural or artificial) is an example of embodied computation, which exploits physical processes for computational ends, or performs computations for their physical effects. Examples of embodied computation in natural morphogenesis can be found at many levels, from allosteric proteins, which perform simple embodied computations, up through cells, which act to create tissues with specific patterns, compositions, and forms. We outline a notation for describing morphogenetic programs and illustrate its use with two examples: simple diffusion and the assembly of a simple spine with attachment points for legs. While much research remains to be done — at the simulation level before we attempt physical implementations — our results to date show how we may implement the fundamental processes of morphogenesis as a practical application of embodied computation at the nano- and microscale.