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Physarum Machines : Computers from Slime Mould

Adamatzky, Andrew
ISBN-10: 9814327581
ISBN-13: 9789814327589

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A Physarum machine is a programmable amorphous biological computer experimentally implemented in the vegetative state of true slime mould Physarum polycephalum. It comprises an amorphous yellowish mass with networks of protoplasmic veins, programmed by spatial configurations of attracting and repelling gradients.
This book demonstrates how to create experimental Physarum machines for computational geometry and optimization, distributed manipulation and transportation, and general-purpose computation. Being very cheap to make and easy to maintain, the machine also functions on a wide range of substrates and in a broad scope of environmental conditions. As such a Physarum machine is a 'green' and environmentally friendly unconventional computer. The book is readily accessible to a nonprofessional reader, and is a priceless source of experimental tips and inventive theoretical ideas for anyone who is inspired by novel and emerging non-silicon computers and robots. An account on Physarum Machines can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/PhysarumMachines.
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Preface
Acknowledgments
From reaction-diffusion to Physarum computing
Reaction-diffusion computers
Limitations of reaction-diffusion computers
Physarum polycephalum
Physarum as encapsulated reaction-diffusion computer
Dawn of Physarum computing
Experimenting with Physarum
Where to get Plasmodium of P. polycephalum
Physarum farms
Dishes and scanners
Data input with food
Substrates
Nutrient-rich vs. non-nutrient substrates
Sensing
Modeling Plasmodium
Summary
Physarum solves mazes
Multiple-site start
Single-site start
Summary
Plane tessellation
The ubiquitous diagram
Physarum construction of Voronoi diagram
Summary
Oregonator model of Physarum growing trees
What a BZ medium could not do
Physarum and Oregonator
Building trees with Oregonator
Validating simulation by experiments
Summary
Does the Plasmodium follow Toussaint hierarchy?
Proximity graphs
Nearest-neighborhood graph
Minimal spanning tree
Relative neighborhood graph
Gabriel graph
Delaunay triangulation
Toussaint hierarchy
Plasmodium network and Toussaint hierarchy
Preparing for graph growing
Growing graph from a single point
Growing from all points
Physarum hierarchy
Summary
Complexity of Plasmodium computation
Halting problem
Reusability
Further studies
Physarum gates
XOR gate anyone?
Ballistics of Physarum localizations
Physarum gates
Simulation of Physarum gates
Simulated one-bit half-adder
Why do we use a non-nutrient substrate?
Summary
Kolmogorov-Uspensky machine in plasmodium
Physarum machines
Materials for Physarum machine
Nodes
Edges
Data, results and halting
Active zone
Bounded connectivity
Addressing and labeling
Basic operations
Example of Physarum machine solving simple task
On parallelism
Summary
Reconfiguring Physarum machines with attractants
Fusion and multiplication of active zones
Translating active zone
Reconfiguration of Physarum machine
Summary
Programming Physarum machines with light
Physarum and light
Designing control domains
Trees and waves
Diverting plasmodium
Inertia
Multiplying plasmodium waves
Foraging around obstacles
Routing signals in Physarum machine
Disobedience
Summary
Routing Physarum with repellents
Avoiding repellents on nutrient-rich substrate
Operating on non-nutrient substrate
Operation Deflect
Operation Multiply
Operation Merge
Summary
Physarum manipulators
Plasmodium on water surface
Manipulating floating objects
Summary
Physarum boats
Random wandering
Sliding
Pushing
Anchoring
Propelling
Cellular automaton model
Physarum tugboat
On failures
Summary
Manipulating substances with Physarum machine
Operations with colored substances
Transfer of substances to specified location
Mixing substances
Superpositions of Transfer and Mix operations
Summary
Road planning with slime mould
United Kingdom in a gel
Development of transport links
Weighted Physarum graphs
Physarum vs. Department for Transport
Proximity graphs and motorways
Imitating disasters
Summary
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index


Edition: 2010
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company, Incorporated
Binding: Trade Cloth
Pages: 280
Size: 6.25" wide x 9.50" long x 0.75" tall
Weight: 1.19 lbs.
Language: English

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