Self-Replicating Machines in Continuous Space with Virtual Physics
<|reference_start|>Self-Replicating Machines in Continuous Space with Virtual Physics: JohnnyVon is an implementation of self-replicating machines in continuous two-dimensional space. Two types of particles drift about in a virtual liquid. The particles are automata with discrete internal states but continuous external relationships. Their internal states are governed by finite state machines but their external relationships are governed by a simulated physics that includes Brownian motion, viscosity, and spring-like attractive and repulsive forces. The particles can be assembled into patterns that can encode arbitrary strings of bits. We demonstrate that, if an arbitrary "seed" pattern is put in a "soup" of separate individual particles, the pattern will replicate by assembling the individual particles into copies of itself. We also show that, given sufficient time, a soup of separate individual particles will eventually spontaneously form self-replicating patterns. We discuss the implications of JohnnyVon for research in nanotechnology, theoretical biology, and artificial life.<|reference_end|>
@article{smith2003self-replicating,
    title={Self-Replicating Machines in Continuous Space with Virtual Physics},
    author={Arnold Smith (National Research Council of Canada), Peter Turney
  (National Research Council of Canada), Robert Ewaschuk (University of
  Waterloo)},
    journal={Artificial Life, (2003), 9, 21-40},
    year={2003},
    doi={10.1162/106454603321489509},
    number={NRC-44969},
    archivePrefix={arXiv},
    eprint={cs/0304022},
    primaryClass={cs.NE cs.CE q-bio.PE}
}