A revolutionary new computer based on the apparent chaos of
nature can reprogram itself if it finds a fault OUT of chaos,
comes order. A computer that mimics the apparent randomness
found in nature can instantly recover from crashes by repairing
corrupted data. Dubbed a "systemic" computer, the self-repairing
machine now operating at University College London (UCL) could
keep mission-critical systems working. For instance, it could
allow drones to reprogram themselves to cope with combat damage,
or help create more realistic models of the human brain.
Everyday computers are ill suited to modelling natural processes
such as how neurons work or how bees swarm. This is because they
plod along sequentially, executing one instruction at a time.
"Nature isn't like that," says UCL computer scientist Peter
Bentley. "Its processes are distributed, decentralised and
probabilistic. And they are fault tolerant, able to heal
themselves. A computer should be able to do that." Today's
computers work steadily through a list