Using Morphogenetic Models to Develop Spatial Structures

A common problem in spatial computing is how to arrange the structure of a spatial computer into a geometric form adapted for its current environment and needs. In natural biological organisms, the processes of morphogenesis adapt structure to environment remarkably well on both an individual and evolutionary time scale. However, no clear framework has been developed for exploiting morphogenetic principles in the creation of engineered systems. In this paper, we present preliminary work toward such a framework, developed against the example of a robot similar to the iRobot LANdroid. We first show how developmental programs might act as a reference architecture for engineered designs, facilitating variation. We then present a candidate basis set of geometric operations for encoding adaptable developmental programs, demonstrate how they can be applied to develop a robot body plan, and discuss progress toward implementation.

[1]  Daniel Coore,et al.  Botanical computing: a developmental approach to generating interconnect topologies on an amorphous computer , 1999 .

[2]  Jacob Beal,et al.  Functional blueprints: an approach to modularity in grown systems , 2010, Swarm Intelligence.

[3]  James R. Rinderle,et al.  A synthesis strategy for mechanical devices , 1989 .

[4]  Radhika Nagpal Programmable self-assembly: constructing global shape using biologically-inspired local interactions and origami mathematics , 2001 .

[5]  J. Vacanti,et al.  Tissue engineering : Frontiers in biotechnology , 1993 .

[6]  Daniel G. Bobrow,et al.  Model-Based Computing for Design and Control of Reconfigurable Systems , 2004, AI Mag..

[7]  Anders Lyhne Christensen,et al.  Robots autonomously self-assemble into dedicated morphologies to solve different tasks , 2010, AAMAS.

[8]  Peter J. Bentley,et al.  Three Ways to Grow Designs: A Comparison of Embryogenies for an Evolutionary Design Problem , 1999, GECCO.

[9]  James D. McLurkin Stupid robot tricks : a behavior-based distributed algorithm library for programming swarms of robots , 2004 .

[10]  M. Sefton,et al.  Tissue engineering. , 1998, Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgery.

[11]  Attila Kondacs Biologically-inspired Self-Assembly of 2D Shapes, Using Global-to-local Compilation , 2003, IJCAI 2003.

[12]  Jonathan Cagan,et al.  A-Design: An Agent-Based Approach to Conceptual Design in a Dynamic Environment , 1999 .

[13]  René Doursat,et al.  Organically Grown Architectures: Creating Decentralized, Autonomous Systems by Embryomorphic Engineering , 2008, Organic Computing.

[14]  Yan Meng,et al.  Morphogenetic Robotics: An Emerging New Field in Developmental Robotics , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C (Applications and Reviews).

[15]  Yan Meng,et al.  A Morphogenetic Approach to Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots using a Hybrid Hierarchical Gene Regulatory Network , 2010, ALIFE.

[16]  Chih-Han Yu,et al.  Self-adapting modular robotics: A generalized distributed consensus framework , 2009, 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[17]  Sean B. Carroll,et al.  Endless forms most beautiful : the new science of evo devo and the making of the animal kingdom , 2005 .

[18]  Radhika Nagpal,et al.  Collective construction of environmentally-adaptive structures , 2007, 2007 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[19]  J. Beal,et al.  Morphogenetically Assisted Design Variation , 2011 .

[20]  R. Doursat Morphogenetic engineering weds bio self-organization to human-designed systems , 2011 .

[21]  Bruce J. MacLennan,et al.  Models and Mechanisms for Artificial Morphogenesis , 2009, IWNC.